Category Archives: Shopping Mall

Retail, Shopping Mall

Buford, GA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at mall; No injuries reported

Firefighters are investigating an incident that sparked at the Mall of Georgia Tuesday morning.

Crews were called to Buford Drive in Buford at 5:38 a.m. A bystander called 911 and reported a fire at the Mall of Georgia food court, authorities said.

When firefighters arrived, they found the fire developing in a first-floor storage room behind of the restaurants in the mall food court, investigators said.

The fire triggered the sprinkler system. Despite the low visibility, crews were able to use its hose to extinguish the flames. Mall workers and security were evacuated during the fire.

The building’s ventilation system was used to remove residual smoke from the and fire units brought in fans to ventilate parts of the building.

The storage room sustained heavy fire damage; there were no injuries.

Crews have determined the fire started from an electrical issue with a light fixture.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Omaha, NE – Sprinkler system activated for fire at strip mall; No injuries reported

The Omaha Fire Department is investigating a fire at a strip mall Sunday morning.

According to the Omaha Fire Department, at 8:44 a.m. Sunday, crews were called to a one-story strip mall at 10841 Q Street. Dispatch received multiple calls reporting a large amount of black smoke coming from the building.

When crews arrived they entered and reported poor visibility inside. They searched the structure and found a fire that was controlled by an automatic sprinkler system. The fire was extinguished quickly by firefighters.

The Omaha Fire Department says no injuries were reported by fire personnel at the time.

Damage was estimated at $15,000 to the structure and another $50,000 to its contents.

Investigators are looking into what caused the fire.

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.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Colorado Springs, CO – Fire at strip mall controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Colorado Springs firefighters responded to a fire in a strip mall near the southeastern side of the city Thursday morning, firefighters tweeted.

Sprinklers controlled the “small” fire inside a storefront at 1720 South Circle Drive shortly before 11:20 a.m., the agency tweeted.

Crews arrived to control the sprinkler flow, firefighters said.

Firefighters reported no injuries. No other stores were damaged, firefighters said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Riverside, CA – Sprinkler system activated for electrical fire at shopping center

An electrical malfunction triggered a fire at a Riverside shopping center that caused $15,000 in property damage to one business and left a firefighter with minor injuries, officials said Tuesday.

The blaze was reported at 7:20 p.m. Monday at 11070 Magnolia Ave., near La Sierra Avenue, on the city’s west side.

Riverside Fire Department Battalion Chief Garrett Coryell said nearly two dozen firefighters arrived to find a “working structure fire in the front office” of one of the businesses.

The fire was fully contained within 20 minutes to the room of origin and was traced to a failed electrical component, he said.

The building’s anti-fire sprinkler system activated during the blaze, causing some water damage, Coryell said.

He said one crew member suffered unspecified minor injuries but did not require hospitalization.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Woodbridge, NJ – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at mall; No injuries reported

The Woodbridge Center Mall was briefly evacuated Tuesday night after a small electrical fire broke out at Salad Bistro, located inside the mall.

All mall employees and everyone shopping inside was told to leave the mall immediately.

The fire was contained between the ansel system, the sprinkler system and a fire extinguisher; it was quickly extinguished, according to Amy Bellisano, general manager of the Woodbridge Center Mall.

Nobody was injured. All businesses inside the mall, except Salad Bistro, opened as normal on Wednesday. All the water was also cleaned up.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Johnson City, NY – Mall fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire crews responded to a small fire inside Oakdale Mall Wednesday morning.

The Johnson City Fire Marshall Bob Blakeslee told 12 News a small fire broke out inside one of the mall’s stores around 1:25 a.m. He said a sprinkler was tripped and was able to put out the fire safely.

There were no injuries in the incident, and the extent of the damage is unknown at this time.

Blakeslee could not confirm the impacted store.

12 News expects to learn more information throughout the morning.