Category Archives: Retail

Department Store, Retail

Fargo, ND – Overnight fire at Macy’s department store extinguished by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system is credited with minimizing what most likely would have been significant fire damage at Macy’s in West Acres. Fargo firefighters responded to an alarm at 2:42 a.m. Sunday and discovered a sprinkler head had activated and put out a fire in an office at the department store. The fire was determined to have started due to an overheated electrical device. The fire spread to office furniture before being extinguished by the sprinkler system. A damage assessment was not available

Department Store, Retail

Billings, MT – Fire in Home Depot confined to garden center with help from sprinkler system

A small fire broke out at Home Depot Sunday night, causing an estimated $50,000 to the store’s outdoor garden center, according to Billings fire officials.  The fire was reported at 11:36 p.m., according to a Monday press release from Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff McCullough.  It was confined to a three-level rack containing some outdoor products, according to Billings Fire Department Battalion Chief Dave Gilbert.

No one was injured in the fire, which apparently started after the store closed Sunday.  The store’s sprinkler system activated and helped confine the fire, which took firefighters about 15 minutes to fully extinguish, Gilbert said.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation.  No one was injured in the fire, which apparently started after the store closed Sunday.  The store’s sprinkler system activated and helped confine the fire, which took firefighters about 15 minutes to fully extinguish, Gilbert said.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Other - Retail

Vancouver, WA – Overnight fire at cabinet business put out with help from sprinkler system

A fire damaged a business in Vancouver Tuesday morning.  Crews responded to Dreamline Cabinets in the 2700 block of Northeast Andersen Road just before 1:30 a.m.  The sprinkler system helped put the fire out before firefighters arrived.  Firefighters did need to cut some holes in the roof at the business next door to help vent the smoke.  No one was hurt and it’s not clear yet what started the fire.

Retail, Shopping Mall

St. Catharines, ON, Canada – Fire in loading dock area of retail store contained by sprinkler system

A partial evacuation of the Pen Centre was initiated late Thursday afternoon after a small fire started at the Dollarama store.  St. Catharines Fire and Emergency Services Platoon Chief Rob Denhollander said the fire that broke out in the loading area was contained by the store’s sprinkler system.  Firefighters were dispatched about 5:25 p.m.  “Fire damage is minimal, but smoke and water damage is to be assessed,” he said on scene.

He said it will be up to an insurance adjuster to determine what store items can be salvaged.  The store is located opposite Winners, separated from the main part of the mall above an escalator.  Many shoppers and moviegoers had to leave the mall, Denhollander said.  “I’m sure there’s quite a few people who missed an ending (to a film),” he said, noting alarm bells were ringing.  No injuries were reported, he added, while also noting stores remained open.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Jessup, MD – Shopping center blaze snuffed out by sprinkler system

A building fire broke out in Jessup on Sunday, according to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.  Firefighters responded to the shopping center where MOM’s Organic Market and Ollie’s are located; the blaze occurred in a commercial space in the 7300 block of Assateague Drive before 6 p.m., officials said.  A sprinkler system put out the fire, which consequently did not spread, according to authorities.

Other - Retail, Retail

Willingboro, NJ – Arson fire at butcher shop contained by sprinkler system

A surveillance video of a pair who sprayed what appeared to be an accelerant and lit a match to start a fire in a store was posted on social media Tuesday by police.  This video shows an alleged arson at The Meat Stop in Country Club Plaza in the 300 block of Beverly Rancocas Road on Aug. 26. The incident occurred after the front door window of the store was smashed and the two entered at 5 a.m., lit the fire and quickly left, Lt. Christopher Vetter said.

A store sprinkler system contained the fire and which was largely out by the time firefighters arrived, police said. The store, and some adjacent businesses sustained “significant” damage, Vetter said. The Meat Shop has not yet reopened.  Anyone with information is asked to contact Willingboro police at 609-877-3001 or the Citizen Tip Hotline at 609-877-6958.

Dry Cleaner, Retail

Newark, NJ – Sprinkler system helps extinguish overnight fire at laundry business

A fire that started earlier in the day caused thousands of dollars in damage and temporarily closed Buckeye Linen Services.

The fire was reported around 11:10 p.m. Thursday. Crews remained on scene until about 1:45 a.m. Friday. 

Newark Fire Chief Pat Connor said the fire started in a dryer duct, spread to the attic and ultimately to the roof of the building on Jefferson Street. 

The building had a sprinkler system that activated and helped to extinguish much of the blaze.

Connor said there appears to have been a fire earlier in the day at the facility that crews at the building believed they had put out with fire extinguishers. However, that fire was not extinguished fully and likely caused the fire in the evening, he said.

There was significant damage to a portion of the building to the point where a structural engineer was called in to make sure the building was safe to occupy.

Other - Retail, Retail

Gilroy, CA – Sprinkler system helps protect Salvation Army store from fire set by thieves

A 2-alarm fire at a Salvation Army facility in Gilroy destroyed $5,000 worth of donations.

Monday’s 2 a.m. blaze is being investigated as suspicious by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and Gilroy Police Department.

Flames spread through a trailer filled with donations.

Workers at the Salvation Army said the trailer has been broken into several times before at night, and the thieves use candles to light their way through darkness.

Workers suspect a thief’s candle sparked the fire.

The Gilroy Fire Department wrote on Facebook, “Crews responded to the Salvation Army store on Camino Arroyo, where they found a 53 (foot) trailer on fire up against the loading dock. The fire extended into the building but was held in check by the sprinkler system.”

Retail

Phillipsburg, NJ – No injuries as sprinkler system helps knock down fire at Toys R Us

The Toys R Us store on Route 22 near Phillipsburg was evacuated Monday for a fire that broke out in the store’s office area, fire officials said.

No one was injured in the 3:59 p.m. blaze, which burned boxes, computer materials and other office items in the building at 1280 Route 22 in Pohatcong Township.

“The fire was confined to an office area off of the retail floor,” Huntington fire Chief Dave Cupon said. “It was a lot more smoke damage than anything, but the store will be closed for an undetermined amount of time while they make repairs.”

Cupon said the fire appeared to have started accidentally in an electrical fixture. No one was in the office when the flames broke out, he said.

“The sprinkler system, once it was activated, knocked down a lot of the fire,” Cupon said. Firefighters quickly finished extinguishing the fire.

Three firetrucks extended their ladders to the Toys R Us and Babies R Us roof, where firefighters used fans to help suck the smoke out of the store.

Assisting Huntington Fire Company were Alpha, Greenwich Township, Phillipsburg, Harmony, Washington and Pohatcong Township fire companies.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

North Liberty, IA – Sprinkler system assists fire crews in controlling supermarket fire

A fire was reported at an eastern Iowa Fareway on Sunday morning.  Sunday, September 10, at 10:30 a.m. the North Liberty Fire Department was called to Fareway for alarms going off and smoke coming from the roof.  When crews arrived, they saw smoke from the roof, and the inside  full of smoke. They found the fire in a refrigerator unit, they believe motor sparks started the fire. Fire crews were able to put out the fire with help from the sprinkler system. 

Fareway was closed at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.  The North Liberty Fire Department was assisted by Solon, Coralville, and Tiffin Fire Departments. Johnson County Ambulance Service, Iowa State Patrol, Mid America Energy and Johnson County Joint Communication Center were also on scene.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.