Category Archives: Retail

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Logan, WV – Evening fire at Walmart contained to stock room by sprinkler system; Store reopens next morning

The city of Logan Fire Department responded to a structural fire at the Walmart in Logan around 9 p.m. Saturday. Fire Chief Scott Beckett said the fire was contained to a stock room in the back of the store.  “This is a real testament to working sprinkler systems and quick reaction times,” Beckett said. “As soon as employees realized there was a fire, they activated the fire alarms and got everyone to safety.”

Firefighters were originally told the fire was located in the shop area where tires are purchased and installed, but determined it was actually located in the rear of the building in a stock room. Beckett said the flames did not reach the main area of the store because the stock room sprinkler system had been activated. Chris Hatfield, fire marshal for the city, conducted the investigation into the cause of the fire. Beckett said Hatfield’s report deemed the cause to be accidental. The fire reportedly began when a returned item with batteries inside short circuited and began to burn. Other items close by also ignited.

No injuries were reported, and all employees on duty Saturday night were accounted for. Beckett said he commends the quick reaction from Walmart employees and his crew for their work in keeping the fire contained. “This was really a textbook situation,” Beckett said. “Minimal damage, no injuries, the store is already back open. Everyone did what they needed to do to keep this situation from being worse than it could’ve been.”

Other areas inside the store were affected by smoke, but it was also quickly ventilated to minimize the damage. Any open food items such as fruits and vegetables will be destroyed, along with any others that would be a hazard to the public. Walmart reopened to the public at 10 a.m. Sunday. The store thanked the community for their patience in a Facebook post that morning.

Department Store, Retail

Cedar Park, TX – Arson fire at Walmart suppressed by automatic sprinkler system

“Lots of black smoke just radiating from that area,” described Jackie Sinclair, who was inside Walmart early Wednesday morning as flames shot up to the ceiling. The fire happened at the store on 201 Walton Way in Cedar Park around 1:44 a.m. Sinclair posted video to Facebook of the flames, which appear to be in an aisle behind the watches and jewelry section. Cedar Park Fire Department says two separate fires were set inside, one near the apparel and another in the vacuum aisle. Police are investigating it as arson.

“How did this happen?” Sinclair says on the video. “Time to go — that’s a little too big for my taste.” Sinclair said she had just gotten off work and was stopping by Walmart to get some groceries and avoid the crowds. “That’s crazy, like I’ve never seen nothing like that before, so I didn’t really understand what was going on.”

Police do have a suspect who has been interviewed, but not arrested. Investigators say it is not a Walmart employee. “It is unusual, of course, I don’t know a lot of details of the motive right now,” explains Randle Blesing, fire marshal for the Cedar Park Fire Department. Blesing says three sprinkler heads went off, putting out most of the flames. Walmart employees evacuated the store. “Thirty seconds in, I was like in, I shot the video and I was out, I did not want to stay in there,” recalls Sinclair.

No one was hurt. The cause of the fire is still being investigated. The store will remain closed until further notice so staff can assess the damage. Walmart says employees at the Cedar Park store are being reassigned to nearby stores so they can still work and won’t lose any hours.

People have set fires in other Walmart stores before. A quick Google search turns up more than a dozen in the past few years. The damage can be expensive. Two years ago, fires in a West Virginia Walmart caused more than $2 million in losses. Police arrested and charged two 12-year-old boys for starting those fires.

Last year, a man lit a fireworks display on fire inside a Walmart in Phoenix. No one was hurt, but the store sustained several million dollars worth of water and fire damage. Police arrested a suspect a few months later and charged him with arson.

Retail

Blenheim, ON, Canada – Fire at tire store held in check by sprinkler system

There is still no word on how extensive the damage is after a fire broke out at the Canadian Tire store in Blenheim on Thursday morning. According to a spokesperson for the CK fire department, the damage estimate is still under review “due to the complexities of smoke and water damage.” The investigation continues but Chatham-Kent fire officials are confident it was an accident.

The fire started in the middle of the store and as firefighters began to extinguish the blaze, the sprinkler system discharged and contained the fire. “This incident has proven once again that fire suppression systems such as sprinklers provide another layer of defense against the dangers of fire,” says Assistant Chief Chris Case. “The activation of the system in this case managed to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading. Systems such as these protect lives and livelihoods.”

The fire department says automatic sprinkler systems have sustained an enviable record of protecting life and property for over 100 years. Yet, there are still common misunderstandings about the operation and effectiveness of automatic fire sprinkler systems.

“A number of people believe that water damage from a sprinkler system will be more extensive than fire damage or that when a fire occurs every sprinkler head goes off,” explains Public Educator, Whitney Burk. “This is not the case as water damage from a building sprinkler system is less severe than the damage caused by a fire that is able to spread and sprinkler heads are individually activated by temperature.”

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.