Category Archives: Retail

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Richmond, CA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Target store; No injuries reported

The automatic sprinkler system at the Richmond Target store helped keep an arson fire in the store “small and nearly extinguished,” according to Richmond Firefighters Local 188.

The firefighters’ union shared video and photos from the fire response that occurred Thursday at the store in the 4500 block of Macdonald Avenue.

Luckily, no one was injured. While the fire damage was limited to a small portion of the aisle, the remainder of the store suffered extensive water damage from the sprinkler system, fire officials said. The store has been closed since the incident.

“Crews arrived at scene to find the occupants and employees already safely out front,” fire officials said.

Fire crews found smoke in the store coming from a fire in one of the aisles. They doused whatever fire remained after the sprinkler system activated.

According to Richmond police, firefighters deemed that the fire was intentionally set. No suspects were located at the scene and the case was referred to fire investigators for followup, police said.

The  El Cerrito and Contra Costa County fire departments also assisted with the incident. 

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Houston, TX – Sprinkler system activated for fire at supermarket loading dock; No injuries reported

Firefighters arrived on scene within four minutes to find a fire in a loading dock connected to a supermarket. The made an attack on the fire and with the sprinkler system the fire was controlled and extinguished. A health inspector was requested and HFD Arson investigators were requested to determine the cause and origin of the fire. Metro PD informed HFD a possible suspect was in custody and HPD was on scene for traffic control. Crews from Stations 28, 51, 68 and 37 responded to this incident.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Harahan, LA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Walmart; No injuries reported

A Walmart in Harahan is closed to the public today after a fire broke out there Monday (May 30) night, and it was caught on camera.

In this video, you can see the fire blazing in a section of the store, located in the 5100 block of Jefferson Highway.

Firefighters got the call around 9:44 p.m.

Responders say that when they arrived, the sprinkler system was already activated.

“Currently, as of the cause, it’s under investigation by Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s office, and our fire investigators,” said Chief Travis.

Officials also say a second fire happened this morning as a result of that first one, and electrical issues are to blame.

No one was hurt in either fire.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

San Jose, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Trader Joe’s; No injuries reported

Firefighters on Monday night quickly extinguished a fire at the Trader Joe’s south of the San Jose International Airport.

The fire was reported just before 6:15 p.m. at the store at 635 Coleman Ave., said San Jose fire Capt. Mitch Matlow.

“The management in the store heard the fire alarms go off, and then they started seeing water coming down from the ceiling in the area over their fresh meat section,” said Matlow, adding that the water was from the store’s fire sprinkler system.

Firefighters arrived to see flames on the roof of the store, which was also being evacuated. About 19 employees and 60 customers were in the store at the time of the fire.

“Everybody is accounted for,” Matlow said. “There are no injuries.”

Employees described the evacuation as “pretty orderly” and said customers were still trying to check out while being asked to evacuate.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, Matlow said.

Matlow said the fire started on the roof. The cause, however, remains under investigation.

As of 8 p.m., employees were still waiting to be let back into the store to collect their belongings. They said work had taken place Monday on the roof where the fire ignited.

The fire left a hole in the roof, Matlow said. An estimate of the damage was not immediately available, but Matlow said he expected the store to remain closed for at least a couple of days.

Firefighters were working with the management to preserve perishable goods in the store, Matlow said.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Mississauga, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system contains fire at car dealership

Crews are responding to a fire in Mississauga this evening (Feb. 27).

Shortly before 6:30 p.m, the city’s fire department said they were responding to a fire at the Ideal Honda car dealership located near Highway 401 and Dixie.

Early reports indicate heavy smoke rising from the roof of the dealership.

The cause of fire and any potential injuries are currently unknown.

UPDATE: The fire is under control and appears to have been contained by the sprinkler system, the fire department says.

It’s believed that the smoke was coming from a vent inside the facility.

Other - Retail, Retail

Santa Rosa, CA – Sprinkler system helps extinguish fire at pharmacy; No injuries reported

A fire ignited in a debris pile outside of a Rite Aid pharmacy in Santa Rosa early Wednesday morning, spreading into the building and causing an estimated $200,000 in damage.

Santa Rosa fire officials said the blaze was reported at 12:04 a.m. at the store located at 955 Stony Point Road.

When crews arrived, they found a pile of wood pallets and other debris burning against the back corner of the store. Heat from the blaze had shattered the exterior glass windows and doors, allowing flames to spread into the building’s rear storage area.

The flames also spread to the gas meter, igniting an intense natural gas fire that firefighters were eventually able to extinguish with the help of the building’s fire sprinkler system.

The store was closed at the time of the fire and no one was inside the building. Much of the retail area of the store had smoke and water damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Honolulu, HI – Sprinkler system activated for electrical fire at shopping center; No injuries reported

Honolulu firefighters responded to a fire at Ala Moana Shopping Center on Tuesday morning after a security guard noticed smoke coming from a loading dock area.

Officials said the two-alarm fire started around 8:10 a.m. in a basement storage room belonging to the Longs Drugs at the mall.

HFD said an electrical panel in the room had shorted and sparked a fire which spread to flammable items nearby.

Firefighters said the storage room, located directly below the store was full of boxes and merchandise, which hindered fire suppression. HFD said fortunately, the sprinkler system was activated and confined flames to an area about 20 feet by 20 feet.

However, officials said the fire was not fully extinguished and that crews had to sift through the room, despite poor visibility and little ventilation, to ensure nothing was smoldering.

HFD said the blaze was extinguished just before 9:30 a.m.

Officials said no injuries were reported.

The estimated cost of damages is unknown at this time and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Manchester, NH – Sprinkler system activated for early morning fire at mall

An early-morning fire alarm activation at the Mall of New Hampshire Sunday was caused by an electrical fire originating with a massage chair, according to fire officials.

At 1:24 a.m. an alarm was triggered at the Mall, 1500 South Willow St. followed by a report of smoke near the food court as fire companies were en route.

Upon arrival Engine 3 entered the mall to find smoke generated from a massage chair that caught fire. The sprinkler system had activated and contained the fire to the area of origin, and remaining fire in the area was extinguished by the Engine 3 crew. 

There was water damage in the immediate area along with heavy smoke damage throughout the mall. Ventilation of the building was a challenge due to the size of the affected area, fire officials said.

As of 11 a.m. the mall was open for shopping, according to personnel in the mall’s security office.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Effingham, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at nail salon in mall

Fire broke out at Malibu Nails inside the Village Square Mall just before 5:30 Tuesday evening.

Assistant Fire Chief Matt Kulesza told us the fire started from a mini-fridge inside the store. The store had just closed for the evening, and the owner had gone home. People walking in the mall spotted the fire and called 911.

The sprinkler system in the store did activate, but the fire was limited by a water line located in a wall just behind the refrigerator. The line melted from the heat and burst, giving the sprinkler an assist. When firefighters arrived, they broke a window to gain access and used a pump can to put the fire out.

Kulesza said it could have been much worse, had the fire burned through the wall into the store to the south, which is packed full of boxes and other items that would have fueled it.

Angus, owner of Malibu Nails, told us he’s been in the mall since 1995 and does intend to repair his space and reopen. For the time being, Malibu Nails will be using a portion of the store across the hall from his, while mall management prepares a temporary space for them in the coming days.

The mall was closed for the rest of the evening Tuesday. RMC Cinemas remained open. Mall manager Steve Linton and other mall employees were cleaning up glass from the window the fire department had to break to gain access to the store, and putting fans in place to air out the mall. He told us the mall will be open as normal Wednesday morning, and that he’s thankful the damage was limited.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Easton, PA – Fire at mall extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A “suspicious” fire on Sunday afternoon in a lavatory behind a store near an entrance to the Palmer Park Mall was quickly put out by sprinklers but left water damage in three stores, a Palmer Township fire official reports.

The Palmer Township Municipal Fire Department responded at 4:50 p.m. to an alarm at the mall but as firefighters were on their way, people inside the mall called 911 to report an explosion and smoke inside the main entrance, Deputy Chief Jim Alercia said in a news release.

The mall was being evacuated as firefighters arrived. Shoppers and workers indicated the fire was in the IFIX and More store, which sells cell phone accessories and does minor repairs, Alercia said. The fire was contained to a lavatory in a rear stock room, Alercia said. It was put out by the mall’s sprinkler system, he added.

There was “moderate” water damage to the Claire’s and Verizon Wireless stores as well as fire damage to the lavatory and water damage to the stock room and sales floor at IFIX and More, Alercia said.

Fire personnel remained on scene to help mall staff ventilate the smoke from the stores and get the alarm system active again so the mall could open for its regular 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. hours on Monday, Alercia said.

Township fire investigators are probing what they have labeled a “suspicious fire”, Alercia said. Investigators were removing evidence in search of the cause and manner of the fire, Alercia said.

A drop ceiling, which was soaked by the sprinkler system, collapsed, making the sound that people thought was an explosion, Alercia said.

No one was hurt and Bethlehem Township firefighters and Suburban EMS assisted at the scene, Alercia said.