Category Archives: Retail

Retail, Shopping Mall

Providence, RI – Sprinkler system controlled tractor trailer truck fire in parking garage

A tractor trailer truck caught fire Tuesday morning at the loading dock of the North Garage at the Providence Place mall.

Firefighters responded at 8:17 a.m. and found the cab of the truck fully in flames, according to an email from Lindsay Lague, spokeswoman for Providence public safety.

Two sprinkler heads above the truck activated, and fire crews helped extinguish the fire with a hose, Lague wrote.

The fire was under control as of 8:50 a.m., but smoke persisted in the loading dock area, the parking garage and some areas of the mall.

Crews metered the parking garage and other public areas for carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, but there were no issues with either gas.

Crews were able to clear the smoke and the mall opened on time at 10 a.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Chelmsford, MA – Oven fire at grocery store contained by sprinkler system until fire crews arrive

The Drum Hill Hannaford grocery store shut down for several hours Monday, following an oven fire in the store’s deli area, Fire Chief Gary Ryan said.

No injuries were reported. The store reopened just after 2:30 p.m., Ryan said.

Ryan said the Chelmsford Fire Department responded with an engine company at 7:04 a.m. Nov. 12 for a fire alarm activation.

When they arrived, the engine company encountered smoke by the deli. They also found an oven fire being contained by an activated sprinkler head, Ryan said.

The damage was limited to the deli area and the store was shut down for cleaning and sprinkler restoration, Ryan said.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Evansville, IN – Structure fire at nail salon contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters were responding to an apparent structure fire at a West side business Saturday evening.

The fire apparently originated at Pretty Nails nail salon, according to scanner traffic. Responders were working to get the building’s sprinkler system turned off, but the fire was stopped.

The call came in around 8:15 p.m. According to scanner traffic, Evansville and Vanderburgh County officers are blocking all east-west on Pearl Drive. Motorists are advised to avoid the area.

The address on the call was 5405 Pearl Drive, which is the location of a strip mall that houses Buffalo Wild Wings. Eye-Mart and Crazy Buffet as well as the nail salon.

According to scanner traffic, multiple fire and rescue units were staging at the AMC Theatre just down the street. The site of the fire was safely evacuated.

Auto Dealership

Tucson, AZ – Sprinkler system prevents garage fire from spreading to showroom at Mercedes-Benz dealership

A fire at a Mercedes-Benz dealership on Tucson’s east side on Wednesday, Oct. 24, damaged at least one car in the garage, but did not spread to the showroom.  Sprinklers activated, helping stop the spread of the fire at 6350 E. Grant Road.  According to information from the Tucson Fire Department, one employee of the dealership was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor burns. No firefighters were hurt.  It took 36 firefighters and 15 TFD units about 16 minutes to get the fire under control.  Investigators are working to determine the cause and origin of the fire.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Miami Township, OH – Fire in body shop of auto dealership doused by sprinkler system; Dealership open for business next morning

Crews are working to determine the cause of a small fire Friday night in one of the body shop bays at Castrucci Honda Service in Miami Twp.  A cleaning crew called in the fire a Miami Valley Fire District battalion chief said involved some papers that produced smoke as well. The garage sprinkler system kicked in to douse the fire.  The smoke and fire damage at the business, 3013 Mall Park Drive, are minimal, said General Manager Mike Boone, head of all Castrucci business in the Dayton area. Boone said the business will be open Saturday.  He also said he doesn’t believe any of the vehicles in the body shop were damaged.  No injuries were reported.

Crews were dispatched just after 9:30 p.m. on a report of a possible structure fire.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Anderson, SC – Walmart arson fire contained by sprinkler system

A stuffed animal was set on fire, presumably as a distraction so someone could steal a robotic vacuum, said Anderson Police Chief Jim Stewart.

Three days after what authorities believe to be an arson, the Walmart on State 28 Bypass reopened this morning.

The store was evacuated Monday, with no injuries, after a fire that began near the photography department.

The small fire was quickly contained by the sprinkler system, but that caused water damage and there was a lot of smoke.

Stewart said a man has been arrested and charged.

Michael Travis Robinson, 43, is charged with second degree arson.

According to a warrant, he set fire to an item in the store causing “extendive damage to the location with numerous people present.”

These areas will be open, according to the store’s Facebook page: “produce, bakery, deli, meat, dairy, grocery, pets, paper goods, and chemicals.”

The investigation into the fire is ongoing and is being conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division along with the Anderson Police Department and the Anderson Fire Department.

Department Store, Retail

Ocala, FL – Arson fire at Macy’s store extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Police in Ocala, FL, are looking for the woman who lit a rack of underwear on fire inside a Macy’s store Tuesday morning. The suspect walked into the store’s Paddock Mall location at 10:11 a.m. and wandered around for 45 minutes. Firefighters arrived shortly after she left and saw light smoke coming from the mall’s north entrance, according to the Ocala StarBanner.

“It was a bunch of smoke rolling out and people were walking – running outside,” witness Kortnee Eubanks told WFTV. The sprinkler system had already extinguished the flames, but needed to be reset and fans were brought in to help ventilate the store.  Nobody was hurt in the incident.

Officer Meghan Shay told local media the store’s staff thought they were smelling gas.  The mall released a statement on its website Tuesday that announced the store would remain closed the remainder of that day.

“The safety of our shoppers, retailers and employees is our top priority. We are working closely with the Ocala Police Department as they investigate this incident further,” the statement said. The woman left the store, but surveillance cameras captured her vehicle, which appears to be a dark gray sedan.

Anyone who recognizes this person or vehicle should call Ocala police at 352-369-7000. Once arrested, she will face an arson charge.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Meridian, ID – Fire at nail salon in strip mall contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters converged on a Meridian strip mall Wednesday night after flames broke out inside a business there.  The fire was first reported at about 9:20 p.m. in a row of shops and businesses along South Meridian Road near the intersection with Gem Avenue.  Meridian Fire battalion chief Tyler Rountree said the fire appears to have started in a salon called The Nail Place, and that crews were able to knock the flames down quickly after arriving on the scene.  The fire was big enough to trip the building’s sprinkler system. Rountree said the fire started in the back of the nail salon. It did not spread to neighboring businesses, although crews did go into the businesses to make sure.  No injuries were reported.  A fire investigator was on scene late Wednesday night. At this point, there is no word what caused the fire.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Baton Rouge, LA – Mall fire extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Emergency officials responded to reports of the smell of smoke and a possible fire at the Mall of Louisiana around 7 p.m. Monday night.

An official with the St. George Fire Department says they discovered a small fire in the interior of a wall in Vivos, which set off a sprinkler, getting people’s attention. The fire department was able to put out the fire with a hand extinguisher and did not have to run a hose into the building. The fire reportedly started in the bathroom of the store.

A fire investigator is en route to determine the cause of the fire.

Sources report that areas of the mall were evacuated by mall security as a precaution. No injuries were reported. The all clear was given around 8 p.m. and patrons were allowed back inside.

Department Store, Retail

Chillicothe, OH – Suspicious fire at Hobby Lobby store knocked down by sprinkler system

A fire suppression system at Hobby Lobby is being lauded for dousing a fire quickly on Thursday night.  The fire was reported not long after 7 p.m. and when Chillicothe firefighters arrived, everyone had gotten out safely and the fire was mostly out, said Capt. Noel Akers.  “The sprinkler system did its job and knocked down the majority of it,” he said.

The fire was in the clothing section of the store in the back left where damage mostly was limited to some clothing and housing items, Akers said. A witness said flames were 7- to 8-feet tall, and estimated there were a dozen or two customers in the store when the fire broke out.  Fire investigators are reviewing the scene and cameras from the store. While an official cause isn’t expected to be released until Friday, Akers referred to the fire as suspicious.

“There’s some suspicious things, so we’ll let the investigators make a determination on that,” he said.  Asst. Chief Steve Gallagher said while fire inspections may sometimes be a bother for businesses, the fire at Hobby Lobby is a prime example of the value of ensuring the fire suppression system is in good shape.  “There’s some water damage but it’s not nearly what could’ve happened if (the fire) had a head start on us … It’s the different between a store closing and re-opening,” Gallagher said.