Category Archives: Retail

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.

Other - Retail, Retail

Palo Alto, CA – Suspicious fire at furniture store minimized with help from sprinkler system

Palo Alto firefighters doused what appeared to be a “suspicious” fire at the rear of a furniture store to the Town & Country Village this morning, fire officials said.  Crews reported to the blaze at the rear of Cisco Home at 855 El Camino Real shortly after 7 a.m., Deputy Fire Chief Catherine Capriles said.

The fire “appears to be suspicious,” according to Battalion Chief Chris Woodard. An initial report indicated the fire was inside CVS Pharmacy, which is adjacent to Cisco, but Capriles later clarified that it was inside a storage room at the furniture store.

Crews had to force their way inside the store that was locked up at the time, and discovered the blaze in a storage room.  A sprinkler system was activated once they arrived and extinguished the fire, Capriles said.  The incident was upgraded to a second-alarm response that brought additional units to the scene, but crews later determined the fire was under control.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.  Access to the shopping center was limited while crews work to extinguish the fire, police said in a tweet.  At about 8:40 a.m., crews were cleaning up in the area where traffic was “no longer significantly impacted,” police tweeted.  Crews left the scene around 9 a.m., Capriles said.

Bob Wenzlau was in the area around 9 a.m. and said there appeared to be no apparent structural damage from the fire, which appeared to damage property at Cisco Home.  A damage estimate for the fire wasn’t available this morning.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Montreal, QC, Canada – Arson fire at car dealership put out by sprinkler system

A car dealership on Cote-de-Liesse was damaged by an incendiary device thrown through a window on Sunday morning.

At 2:00 a.m., a 911 call was made reporting the fire. When firefighters arrived, they found the fire extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Surveillance footage showed a man throwing an object at the window to break it and then throwing the incendiary device once they were inside.

The SPVM arson squad is investigating. No arrests have yet been made. 

Retail, Shopping Mall

Irving, TX – Sprinkler system contains fire in shopping mall electronics store; No injuries reported

A two-alarm fire has been extinguished at an electronics store inside Irving Mall, officials say.  The fire was first reported at about 9:17 p.m. inside a room at Express Electronics. Heavy smoke was reported inside the mall, and fire crews evacuated customers and employees.  The mall’s sprinkler system kicked in, and by 10:20 p.m. the fire was under control.  No injuries were reported.  The fire was contained to the room where it originated, but smoke poured into other parts of the building. Fire crews brought in a venitlation fan to help clear the smoke overnight.

 

Auto Dealership, Retail

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinklers limit damage in fire at auto repair shop; No injuries reported

Las Vegas firefighters battled an auto repair shop fire last Thursday night. Fire officials responded to the Decatur Automotive Center in the 1700 block of N. Decatur Boulevard at 8:31 p.m. after dispatchers received numerous calls that there was an explosion in one of the auto repair shops and smoke was coming from the garage doors.  Officials say the Decatur Automotive Center is a strip mall made up a several automotive repair centers and parts shops.

When fire crews arrived on the scene, they say heavy smoke coming out three bay doors of one of the auto repair shops. Firefighters were able to cut the steel doors and found the business full of smoke. Once the smoke was taken out, two autos were found damaged by the fire. Crews put out hot spots in the two autos, the bulk of the fire was held in check by automatic fire sprinklers.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.  There were six vehicles in the shop during the fire and two autos were damaged.  The business itself was not damaged by the fire. A damage estimate was not immediately available.

There were no injuries during the incident. Fire officials say business was closed at the time. When the fire started, the fire sprinklers activated and held the fire from spreading until firefighters arrived and made sure it was out. If there were no sprinklers, fire investigators say it’s possible the fire would have spread to the other autos and significant damage would have occurred to the business.  It is estimated that several thousands of dollars of property was saved by the sprinklers and downed production time will be minimal to the business.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Fort Worth, TX – Sprinkler system extinguishes arson fire at Wal-Mart; Damage limited to one aisle

A 36-year-old man lit a fire at a Wal-Mart in far north Fort Worth last week to create a diversion and steal money, but he “chickened out” and left the store empty-handed, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Gilberto Hernandez was charged with arson this week, accused in a fire at the Wal-Mart in the 2400 block of Avondale Haslet Road on July 3. The fire was contained to one aisle and was extinguished by the store’s sprinkler system.  Hernandez, in an interview with arson investigators, admitted setting the fire, according to an affidavit written by investigator M.B. Sims.

Hernandez said he had been “casing” the Wal-Mart for more than two months and had managed to steal a manager’s set of keys, the affidavit said. On July 3, he went to the store with his wife, who was unaware of his plans to set a fire. At the store, Hernandez grabbed a flammable product from the automotive department, spread it on merchandise in the drapes aisle and started a fire with a cigarette lighter.   At a cash register, he told an employee that he smelled smoke. “He said he made this comment so that someone would put the fire out,” the affidavit said. “He said he couldn’t go through with stealing the money after all.”

Investigators obtained surveillance video of Hernandez walking into the drapes aisle with a container of fuel additive, the affidavit said. Photographs and video of him leaving the store were released to news outlets last week and investigators received numerous tips identifying Hernandez as the suspect.  Fort Worth police initially arrested Hernandez at his home Thursday on an unrelated warrant out of Indiana. He remained in the Tarrant County Jail on Tuesday with bail set at $50,000.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Hammond, LA – Arson fire at Walmart store contained by sprinkler system

A man is in custody and charged with arson in connection with two fires Saturday afternoon at Northshore Walmart stores. Louisiana State Fire Marshal Chief Butch Browning says 45-year-old Larry Paul Schouest Jr. started the fires at the Hammond and Amite Walmart stores as a distraction after stealing laptop computers from the stores.

Officials say the fires were set in the store’s pool chemical areas, but the sprinkler systems kept the fires from getting out of control. Fire crews evacuated the stores. No one was hurt. Fire marshal deputies say they also obtained a confession from Schouest that he set a fire on June 27 at the Ponchatoula Walmart, where he also stole laptops.  Browning says Schouest was charged with two counts of aggravated arson and six counts of felony theft. He was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish prison.

Other - Retail, Retail

Marysville, WA – Sprinkler systems helps control fire at retail store; Fire started in semi-truck attached outside

Firefighters were called to the Value Village store on State Avenue just after midnight Sunday. A fire was burning in a semi-truck attached to the store and had spread into the building, said Christie Veley, spokeswoman for the Marysville Fire District. Crews went through the store’s roof. It took about three hours to bring the blaze under control. A sprinkler system in the store helped limit the spread of the fire. The store was not open Sunday morning, but employees were working on clean-up and hoped to open in the afternoon. Value Village sells second-hand clothes, furniture and other household items. The Snohomish County fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, and plans to review surveillance video from the store.