Category Archives: Retail

Department Store, Retail

Sacramento, CA – Sprinkler system contains fire at Macy’s; Store reopens same day

The Macy’s store in Arden Fair mall has reopened following a small single-alarm fire this morning, Sacramento Fire Department officials said. Firefighters responded to the fire, which took place in an attic air-conditioning unit, at 9:40 a.m. said Roberto Padilla, fire department spokesman. The building’s sprinkler system kept the fire contained, although there was some smoke in the basement, elevator shafts and third floor, he said.

The fire is no longer active and all units have cleared the scene, Padilla said. Arden Fair Mall officials said the store reopened for business this afternoon.

Other - Retail, Retail

Meridian, MS – Fire at Salvation Army store extinguished by sprinkler system

The Salvation Army Thrift Store in Meridian suffered an overnight fire. “It seems it has wiped out our entire contents, either with water damage or the smoke damage,” said Salvation Army commander, Maj. Glenn Riggs. “So, we’re in a real difficult situation because we have to close and reset.”

Riggs says the building suffered minor damage and the fire was luckily put out by the sprinkler system. Riggs says it hasn’t been confirmed, but it appears the fire was electrical and started around the cashier’s pod. Cleanup and clearing are the first tasks to be completed. After that, Riggs says The Salvation Army will need the public’s help.

“We can’t open with an empty store,” said Riggs. “We do sell the items and the reason we sell them is, we sell them to those who can afford them, so we are able to give items to those who cannot.” Riggs says he is asking that the community be patient for the moment as the organization works to recover from the tragedy. He said he hopes when the store opens again, the community will be generous with donations.

The Salvation Army Thrift Store will be closed until further notice and no donations can be accepted at this time. However, the donations of sellable items will be welcomed in a few weeks.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Henderson, NV – Sprinklers activate to help control fire at Vons grocery store

** Note – Sprinklers are not activated by smoke – Only the substantial heat from a serious fire **

A Vons grocery store in Henderson caught fire Thursday and had to close for the night, according to a city of Henderson news release. The Henderson Fire Department responded to the store at 2667 E. Windmill Parkway, near Pecos Road, shortly after 8 p.m. The fire was in the roof where construction was recently done, the release said. The sprinkler system was activated by smoke in the rear of the store.

The grocery store was evacuated and closed for repairs. The store reopened Friday morning. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire was deemed accidental, but an estimated cost of damage could not be determined until Vons can inventory the lost food products, the release said.

Dry Cleaner, Retail

Nashua, NH – Fire caused by spontaneous combustion held in check by sprinkler system

An early morning fire inside an Industrial Park Drive building was caused by spontaneous combustion of oily rags, according to fire officials. The single-alarm blaze, reported just after 1 a.m. Thursday, happened inside UniFirst Corp., 8 Industrial Park Drive, which is a uniform, maintenance and cleaning supply company.

Firefighters responding to a master fire box alarm, arrived to hear alarms sounding and to find a smoke-filled building and sprinklers operating. The fire was located in three bins filled with tightly packed oily rags. The blaze was held in check by the sprinklers, although firefighters stretched one hose to completely extinguish the fire.  Pressure fans were brought in to air out the building.

Other - Retail, Retail

Woods Cross, UT – Sprinklers limit damage in overnight fire at retail store

Officials said a fire at a local business could have been much worse if sprinklers weren’t in place. The South Davis Metro Fire Department said a “water flow alarm” alerted them to the flames at about 11 p.m. When crews got to the “Candle Warmers Etc.” building near 19th W. and 24th S., they found the sprinklers were already putting out the fire.

“The sprinklers obviously put the fire out and they do a great job of that and that’s why buildings like these are required to have sprinklers,” Fire Chief Dave Powers said. “So most of the damage now is just the water damage caused by the sprinklers going off and a little bit of the burn from the fire.” Officials said it appears the fire was an accident; investigators are working to determine the cause.

Other - Retail, Retail

Winston-Salem, NC – Sprinkler system contains storage room fire at furniture store

The fire started about 10 a.m. in a rack storage area at the rear of the Colfax Furniture and Mattress store at 801 Silas Creek Parkway, said Battalion Chief Jeff Henley of the Winston-Salem Fire Department. No one was injured. The building’s sprinkler system helped contain the fire, Henley said.  It took 31 firefighters about 30 minutes to put out the fire.

The store’s employees and its customers left the store safely after the fire began, Henley said. Investigators are trying to determine how the fire started, Henley said. He didn’t have an estimate of how much damage the fire caused.

The store’s warehouse manager first heard a muffled explosion or some type of loud noise shortly after the store opened at 10 a.m., said Jackson Braswell, the store’s manager. That employee then saw a rug burning, Braswell said. The sprinkler system was activated, and someone called 911.

“The most important thing is that everyone got out safe,” Braswell said. “The sprinklers did their job.” Braswell didn’t immediately know how soon the store will reopen. “We will be back up and running as soon as we can,” Braswell said.

Other - Retail, Retail

Ventura, CA – Sprinklers help contain arson fire at commercial retail complex

Two structure fires were knocked down in Ventura Tuesday morning, officials said. The first fire, which was determined to be arson, was reported at 2:28 a.m. in the 9200 block of Telephone Road.

The facade of a commercial retail complex on Telephone Road was purposely set on fire in the first incident, officials said. Responding crews discovered an exterior commercial sign in flames that had lapped onto the adjacent exterior wall of the building, officials said. The blaze triggered a fire sprinkler that held the fire in check.

Department Store, Retail

Germantown, MD – Fire at Bed, Bath and Beyond store controlled by sprinkler system

Montgomery County firefighters say an electrical short in a light fixture sparked a fire on Tuesday morning at the Bed, Bath and Beyond store on Middlebrook Road in Germantown.

Fire and Rescue Spokesperson Pete Piringer said workers discovered the blaze and called 9-1-1. He said the fire was controlled by the building’s sprinkler system.

According to Piringer, the store’s employees evacuated the building and there were no injuries

Auto Dealership, Retail

Eureka, CA – Sprinklers help limit damage in fire at auto body shop

An alert passerby coupled with a sprinkler system helped quell what could have been a much worse fire at Fred’s Body Shop on Saturday night.  A malfunctioning paint recycler — an apparatus which separates and reclaims solvents from waste paint for reuse — at the shop, located on Indianola Cutoff, was the cause of the fire but the business’ commercial fire sprinkler system suppressed much of the flames.

A passerby reported smoke and a small amount of fire coming from the shop and, at about 6:40 p.m., units from the Humboldt Bay Fire and Arcata Fire headed to the scene. The first arriving battalion saw smoke coming from the roof vents and forced open a door and found the fire in the back of the shop. Additional crews arrived and extinguished the flames with 15 minutes.

As a result, Indianola Cutoff was closed for about an hour and a half. Damages were estimated at $6,000 but fire officials note the early notification and fire suppression system greatly minimized the damage potential for the body shop.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Puyallup, WA – Fire at Walmart kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries

Firefighters controlled a large, smoky fire that forced customers and employees to leave a Puyallup Walmart store on Tuesday night.

KOMO-TV reports that Central Pierce Fire and Rescue spokesman Ed Hrivnak said the fire started about 9:30 p.m. The fire department received multiple reports of a fast-moving fire in the garden area.

No injuries were reported.

Hrivnak says the store’s sprinkler system kept the fire in check. It was under control by about 11 p.m.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.