Category Archives: Retail

Auto Dealership, Retail

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system helps douse office fire at auto shop; No injuries reported

No one was injured early Thursday morning after the front office of a central valley auto shop caught fire.

Firefighters responded just before 4 a.m. to reports of a fire at 360 Auto Care, 1723 N. Decatur Blvd., near Vegas Drive, according to Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski.

The shop’s sprinkler system activated and helped douse the flames and crews took care of the rest with a fire hose, Szymanski said. The fire was contained to the front office.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Gainesville, GA – Sprinkler system keeps vehicle fire contained at Hardy Chevrolet

A vehicle caught fire inside of Hardy Chevrolet before 2 a.m. Thursday, according to the Gainesville Fire Department.

Fire crews found a vehicle ablaze inside the Browns Bridge Road auto dealer after responding to a call of possible fire. The building’s sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading, allowing firefighters to douse the flames soon after they arrived.

The Gainesville Fire Marshal is investigating the cause, according to Division Chief Keith Smith.

This report will be updated.

Retail

Santa Maria, CA – Arson fire at discount store held in check by sprinkler system

Arson is suspected in a fire at the Fallas department store in Santa Maria Tuesday night that forced employees to flee and activated the store’s sprinkler system causing major damage to inventory.  The fire started just after 10:00 p.m. with Santa Maria firefighters arriving within minutes to find smoke billowing out of the roof of the building in the Town Center West shopping center.  Employees were working in the store at the time of the fire and managed to evacuate the building without injury.  Investigators believe the fire started on the second floor of the two-story building and by the time firefighters made it there, the building’s fire sprinkler system had activated.

“Fire sprinklers did keep the fire in check which allowed our crews to fully extinguish it”, said Santa Maria Fire Dept. Battalion Chief Mike Farmer, “we went into salvage and overhaul operations
after that to remove the smoke and lessen the water damage as much as we could.”

Water from the fire sprinklers damaged clothing, household goods and other items in the store which is expected to remain closed on Wednesday for the cleanup.

Investigators from the Santa Maria Fire Dept. and the Santa Maria Police Dept. are investigating the suspected arson fire.

Other - Retail, Retail

Mountain View, CA – Overnight fire at farmers market “mostly extinguished” by automatic sprinkler system

Sprouts Farmers Market on San Antonio Road had to shut down temporarily after a small fire ignited in one of the market’s refrigerators early Friday morning, July 6.  A passerby called 911 just before 4 a.m. to report that smoke was billowing out of the Sprouts building. Firefighters arrived shortly afterward to find heavy smoke inside the market, but the fire had already been mostly extinguished by the market’s sprinkler system. Fire officials say the building was unoccupied when they arrived, and they believe there were no injuries as a result of the fire.  The exact cause of the fire is still being investigated, and fire officials could not immediately give an estimate on the the cost of the damage.  Following the fire, Sprouts was required to close temporarily in order for Santa Clara County health inspectors to check on the extent of the smoke damage.  No estimate was given for when Sprouts will reopen.

Other - Retail, Retail

Hilltown, PA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at Home Depot

A June 28 fire at Home Depot in Hilltown Plaza on Route 113 was extinguished by the store’s sprinkler system, A.J. Mazzola, district manager for Home Depot Philadelphia, said.

The fire company also responded and made sure the site was safe, he said.

The fire happened a little before the store’s 6 a.m. normal opening time, he said.

“It was contained pretty fast and nobody was injured,” he said.

The store opened for the day about 11:30 a.m., he said as clean-up crews continued to work in the main entrance area about 12:30 p.m. Although the main entrance was still closed at the time, customers were able to enter the building through other entrances.

“Now we’re just cleaning up the residual water from the sprinklers,” Mazzola said.

“It’s crazy how much water comes out of those sprinklers,” he said, “which is good. It keeps everybody safe.”

At some places in the store, the water was initially two to three inches deep, he said.

The fire was apparently from an electrical malfunction, Mazzola said. The fire marshal and electricians were on the scene, he said.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Coronado, CA – Supermarket fire contained with help from sprinkler system

A smoky basement fire prompted the evacuation of a supermarket near Naval Air Station North Island Wednesday. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion, likely from an overloaded transformer, in an alley behind the Vons store in the 800 block of Orange Avenue in Coronado about 8:15 a.m., city spokeswoman Janine Zuniga said.

The building then began to fill with smoke, and its fire-sprinkler system activated. Emergency crews and store employees cleared everyone out of the building while firefighters extinguished the blaze, which caused no injuries.  San Diego Gas & Electric personnel turned off the power supply to the building and were investigating the mishap. “Right now, we aren’t sure if the transformer or (a) refrigeration unit caused the fire,” Coronado Fire Chief Jim Lydon said in the late morning.

The store was expected to remain indefinitely closed due to heavy smoke and water damage, and lack of electrical service. County health officials will assess the site before it is allowed to reopen to the public, Lydon said.

Other Business, Shopping Mall

Newington, VA – Dryer fire at business in strip mall is contained by sprinkler system; Damage minimized

Investigators have identified lint buildup in a dryer as the cause of the Thursday, June 14 Newington strip mall fire, the Fairfax County County and Rescue Department says. Fire sprinklers saved the middle unit strip mall business in the 8000 block of Rolling Road from significant damage. Damages were about $600, and no one was injured.  Fairfax County Fire and Rescue and Fort Belvoir Fire units had responded to the fire around 8:31 p.m. Five employees and one customer were inside at the time of the fire. An employee noticed the rear of the store filling with smoke, and all were able to evacuate.  A fire sprinkler activated and kept the fire contained until firefighters arrived. The fire came from the rear storage area of the building and was quickly put out within 10 minutes.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Longmont, CO – Sprinkler system extinguishes majority of early morning fire at Target

Longmont police and fire investigators will be on scene at Target today to determine the cause of an early morning fire.

Longmont Fire Department spokeswoman Molly Cropp said the store will be closed for at least a few days as officials work to find the cause and origin.

A structure fire was reported at the store at 551 S. Hover St. at 4 a.m. today.

Firefighters found the store filled with smoke, but Cropp said the store’s sprinkler system put out the majority of the fire before they arrived on scene.

No employees or firefighters were injured during the incident.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant, Retail, Shopping Mall

Ottumwa, IA – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire in strip mall

A fire alarm and the smell of smoke kicked the Ottumwa Fire Department into action. They arrived at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at 1111 N. Quincy Ave. in Quincy Plaza.

However, a press release from the city says that when firefighters arrived on scene, they found no active fire or smoke being emitted from the structure. Due to the age of the fire suppression system, it didn’t show exactly where the alarm was coming from.

Firefighters used their key system to gain access to the shops of the strip mall in attempts to locate the source of the smoke smell. That’s how they found the source, which was located at the Little Caesars Pizza section of the strip mall.

Yet the fire suppression system was sufficient to extinguish the fire by itself: Firefighters located an active sprinkler head which had suppressed a small fire in the kitchen area of the business.

According to the city statement, the damage to the entire complex would have been much greater without a properly working fire sprinkler system.

The business suffered water, smoke and fire damage.

The cause, the OFD says, looks to have been spontaneous combustion of oily rags kept in a container in the back of the kitchen.

The Ottumwa Fire Department was assisted by the Ottumwa Police Departments dispatchers to gain communications with the building owner and tenants.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Morganfield, KY – Sprinkler system helps extinguish overnight fire at Walmart

The Walmart in Morganfield will be closed for at least Monday due a overnight fire at the business.

At 2:14 a.m., Union County Dispatch sent Morganfield Fire Department, Union County Fire Department, Waverly Fire Department and Sturgis Fire Department to a fire at Walmart in Morganfield.

According to the Morganfield Fire Chief, Rick Millikan, upon arrival the store had been evacuated and units encountered heavy smoke in the store. The sprinkler system was activated.

Firefighters from MFD located and attacked the fire in the fabric section of the store . Other units arrived on scene, including Union County Fire and Sturgis Fire Department. They entered the loading dock area of the store, and interior crews extinguished the fire. 

The store did suffer smoke and water damage. Millikan said the cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time.

Walmart Morganfield Facebook page states the following: 

“We apologize to our customers but our Morganfield Walmart location will be unable to open today due to fire damage. We have a team en route to get us cleaned up.”