Category Archives: Retail

Other - Retail, Retail

Oxnard, CA – Fire at auto parts business helps stop fire; No injuries reported

The sprinkler system at an auto parts business was credited with assisting firefighters in saving a commercial structure in Oxnard on Monday morning.  

The Oxnard Fire Department responded to a sprinkler activation in the 200 block of south Oxnard Boulevard on Monday at 5:56 a.m.

Upon arrival, fire personnel observed smoke leaving a single-story commercial structure. The first engine company entered the building, found the fire and was able to extinguish the it within 15 minutes.

Although Oxnard battalion chief Steve Reyes added that the business’ sprinkler system played a big role in saving the business.

“I would say the sprinkler system assisted in keeping the fire in check,” said Reyes.

No injuries were reported and no damage estimate was available, although two businesses sustained “major” water, smoke and fire damage, according to Reyes.

The fire remains under investigation.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system kept fire in check at grocery store

A small fire broke out at a grocery store in central Fresno on Friday morning.

Firefighters say pieces of cardboard caught fire near the back of the Grocery Outlet on Blackstone and Effie. The flames then spread to inside the store.

A sprinkler-system inside the store kept the fire from growing. Fire crews were able to put the flames out quickly.

Damage to the store was minimal; the fire mostly burned cardboard in a storage section.

Firefighters are working to repair some of the water damage left behind by the sprinklers.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other - Retail, Retail

Kapolei, HI – Fire sprinklers at clothing store help put out fire; No injuries reported

A fire broke out on the sales floor at the Ross Dress for Less store in Kapolei today, forcing shoppers and employees to evacuate.

Acting Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Carl Otsuka said four fire sprinkler heads activated to extinguish and prevent a further spread of the fire.

No injuries were reported.

HFD said tonight that the cause of the fire is incendiary and turned over the case to the Honolulu Police Department for further investigation. Damage was estimated at $25,000 to the structure and $75,000 to the contents.

Eight units with 24 firefighters responded to the business at the Kapolei Commons shopping center, 4450 Kapolei Parkway just after 11:50 a.m.

When the first unit arrived, firefighters observed items on fire.

In addition to the sprinkler system, firefighters used a fire extinguisher and brought the flames under control at about noon. The fire was extinguished a few minutes later.

Tamara, who declined to give her last name, said she was in the store at about 11:45 a.m. when she smelled smoke and then saw women’s clothing on fire.

Tamara headed to the front of the store to alert employees when she observed a large fire at the men’s clothing rack in another section of the store.

One of the employees used a fire extinguisher in an attempt to extinguish the blaze but “the flames were growing so fast,” she said. “We had to evacuate.”

Tamara called 911.

Department Store, Retail

Kingstree, SC – Department store sprinkler system kept fire in check; No injuries reported

A department store just north of Kingstree was damaged by fire Wednesday night but saved from destruction by its sprinkler system.

Williamsburg County firefighters were dispatched to the Roses Express at 7:55 p.m. and arrived to find heavy smoke and visible flames inside the retail area of the store, according to a release from the fire department.

The fire activated the store’s sprinkler system, which kept the fire in check until firefighters were able to extinguish it.

Firefighters needed approximately 15 minutes to control the blaze.

“There was no extension to the roof or to adjoining stores in the complex, but the store has extensive smoke and water damage to the contents,” according to the agency’s release.

Kingstree firefighters responded with mutual aid.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

The cause of the fire is undetermined and under investigation by the fire department, Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office and SLED.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Monroe, GA – Supermarket sprinkler system stops bathroom fire

A sprinkler system averted would could have been a major fire damage at John’s Supermarket.

The Monroe Fire Department and Walton County Fire Rescue were dispatched to a commercial fire at the grocer, at 416 S. Broad St., shortly before 9:15 a.m. Monday.

Monroe fire Battalion Chief Jack Armstrong said the first units to arrive found a fire in a restroom extinguished by the sprinkler system.

“This was a fantastic example of how important fire sprinklers are,” Armstrong said. “What could have been millions in a loss only caused a few hundred dollars of damage.”

He said a faulty motor in the bathroom’s exhaust fan was the cause of the fire.

Armstrong said the store reopened after the danger eased.

John’s recently opened a major renovation of the store, which has been in Monroe for more than 50 years. The grocer opened an in-store restaurant, Bistro South, and added 8,500 square feet.

There are six loft apartments as well.

Department Store, Retail

Chicago, IL – Fire at Home Depot controlled by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

No one was injured in a fire Thursday night at a Home Depot store in Chatham on the South Side.

The fire was reported shortly after 11 p.m. at the store, 200 W. 87th St., according to the Chicago Fire Department.

The fire, which damaged the store’s stock, was brought under control by sprinklers and was put out by 11:30 p.m., fire officials said.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Kitchener/Waterloo, ON, Canada – Multiple fires at Walmart under investigation, kept in check by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Waterloo Regional Police are investigating after fires were set inside three Walmart stores in Kitchener and Waterloo on Tuesday night.

Police say emergency services were called to the Walmart location in the Sunrise Shopping Centre on Ottawa Street South near Fischer Hallman Road around 9:15 p.m. for a reported blaze.

“On arrival, they found an active fire in the paper products, while primarily toilet paper and other related products,” Tom Ruggle, Kitchener’s Chief Fire Prevention Officer, said.

Firefighters quickly put out the blaze.

At around 10 p.m., police said emergency services were called to the Walmart in Stanley Park Mall on River Road East near Ottawa Street North for another reported fire.

Similar to the first fire, someone lit paper products on fire, which needed to be extinguished by the Kitchener Fire Department.

Twenty minutes later, Waterloo Fire Rescue was called to the Walmart in the Bridgeport Plaza at Bridgeport Road East and Weber Street South.

“Firefighters confirmed entry into the store and encountered smoke banking down from the ceiling while conducting a primary search of the entire area,” Waterloo fire chief Richard Hepditch said.

“Fire crews ensured the fire was confined  and supported extinguishment of the fire which was kept in check by an active sprinkler-head/life-safety system.”

Similar to the KItchener fires, Waterloo police said the fire was started in the paper products aisle.

“All Waterloo Fire Stations responded to this incident where a total of 21 firefighters and 6 fire apparatus were involved.”

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office estimated the cost of the three fires to be at around $12 million.

”The fires were relatively small and contained,” Ruggle explained about the damage the stores had sustained. “However, there was a fair bit of smoke that was produced at the time of the fire.”

Manny Garcia, who is a supervisor with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office, says the damage could have been a lot worse.“Thankfully, these these large, big box stores such as Wal-Mart, they are protected by sprinkler systems,” he explained.“There was also intervention by a storing employee with a fire extinguisher, and that certainly helped slow down the fire progress until the sprinkler went off.“

There were no injuries reported in connection with any of the fires.

Walmart kept the stores closed into Wednesday afternoon as it dealt with the clean-up and repairs

“The stores will re-open as soon as possible while we work with officials to ensure the stores are safe and up to the standards our customers expect and deserve,” the company said in a statement.

“This appears to be a criminal act that will unfortunately impact many of our customers and associates in the middle of the pandemic. We are working closely with officials as they investigate”.

Police are treating the fires as arson.

Other - Retail, Retail

Springfield, VA – Fire at auto shop contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Units from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and the Fort Belvoir Fire and Emergency Services responded to a reported building fire in the 7600 block of Loisdale Road in the Springfield area of Fairfax County Oct. 6 at 11:51 a.m.

Crews arrived on the scene of a large, two-story auto dealership with smoke coming out of multiple garage bay doors. Crews quickly located fire in and below a vehicle that was being serviced and up on a lift. The fire sprinkler system activated and kept the fire contained until it was able to be fully extinguished by firefighters. There were no civilian or fire fighter injuries reported.

Approximately 50 people were in the building when the fire occurred. The fire was discovered in the repair shop bay by the workers in that area.

Fire investigators determined the fire was accidental in nature and started in the service bay area. The fire was caused by the arcing of a battery-operated tool that had been doused in gasoline. The tool arced in the operator’s hands and caught fire. The operator dropped the burning tool and it landed in a pool of gasoline. The fire spread to the vehicle being worked on and surrounding combustibles.

No one was displaced because of the fire. Red Cross assistance was not needed. Damages as a result of the fire were approximately $51,254.

Department Store, Retail

St. Charles, MO – Fire in Walmart put out by fire sprinklers, likely set by child; No injuries reported

A small fire set to a clothing rack at a Walmart in St. Charles on Saturday was likely started by a child, police said Sunday. 

The fire about 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Walmart at 2897 Veterans Memorial Parkway created a lot of smoke but injured no one. 

When firefighters arrived, they found that the conflagration was confined to a rack of clothes in the men’s department, said Mike Grzyb, the St. Charles deputy fire chief. The flames were quickly extinguished by a combination of the sprinkler system and firefighters, he said. 

Surveillance footage from the inside of the store showed a child, a boy less than 10 years old, hiding inside the circular clothing rack shortly before it caught fire, St. Charles Police Lt. Tom Wilkison said Sunday. 

The child left the store with his mother shortly after the fire began, Wilkison said. Police had not yet identified or located the child, he said.

The investigation will be referred to St. Charles County juvenile services once complete, Wilkison said. 

The store sustained extensive smoke damage and moderate water damage from the sprinklers, Grzyb said. Firefighters removed skylights to help clear out the smoke.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Missoula, MT – Electric car in mall parking lot ignited, fire conatined by sprinklers; No injuries reported

The Missoula City Fire Department issued the following press release regarding the fire that occurred at Southgate Mall on Sunday morning.

‘The Missoula Fire Department was dispatched to an activated fire sprinkler system with smoke inside the Southgate Mall.

Arriving crews found heavy smoke just inside the East main entrance and approximately 4 ceiling mounted fire sprinklers activated just above the involved vehicle at the central clock court. Firefighters entered with a hose line and portable fire extinguishers, and quickly gained control of the fire however, the vehicle would re-ignite randomly. Crews soon discovered that the vehicle involved was electric and still plugged in to a floor outlet. Once de-energized the fire was completely extinguished.

Southgate Mall management and security assisted with accessing and shutting down the fire sprinkler system, MPD controlled access to the Mall.

MFD set up smoke fans and de-energized floor outlets. Once atmosphere was tenable Mall maintenance was allowed in to start clean up and assist with pushing the electric vehicle outside.’

Three engines and 12 firefighters responded to the incident, with no injuries reported.

Southgate Mall Manager Tim Winger told KGVO News on Sunday afternoon that a slight incident set off one of the sprinkler heads near Clock Court early in the morning causing minor damage.

Due to the incident and the cleanup that is currently underway, the Western Montana Car Club Expo was cancelled for the day.

Winger said regular mall operations will resume on Monday, September 28 with their normal operations from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.