Category Archives: Shopping Mall

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant, Retail, Shopping Mall

Ottumwa, IA – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire in strip mall

A fire alarm and the smell of smoke kicked the Ottumwa Fire Department into action. They arrived at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at 1111 N. Quincy Ave. in Quincy Plaza.

However, a press release from the city says that when firefighters arrived on scene, they found no active fire or smoke being emitted from the structure. Due to the age of the fire suppression system, it didn’t show exactly where the alarm was coming from.

Firefighters used their key system to gain access to the shops of the strip mall in attempts to locate the source of the smoke smell. That’s how they found the source, which was located at the Little Caesars Pizza section of the strip mall.

Yet the fire suppression system was sufficient to extinguish the fire by itself: Firefighters located an active sprinkler head which had suppressed a small fire in the kitchen area of the business.

According to the city statement, the damage to the entire complex would have been much greater without a properly working fire sprinkler system.

The business suffered water, smoke and fire damage.

The cause, the OFD says, looks to have been spontaneous combustion of oily rags kept in a container in the back of the kitchen.

The Ottumwa Fire Department was assisted by the Ottumwa Police Departments dispatchers to gain communications with the building owner and tenants.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Charlottetown, PE, Canada – Sprinkler system activated after sauna prompts evacuation in shopping mall; No injuries reported

The Charlottetown Mall will be re-opening Tuesday following a fire that triggered an evacuation of the entire complex Sunday afternoon.

However, the Spa Total Fitness Centre, where the fire originated, will remain closed.

No one was injured during the fire, which prompted a response from the Charlottetown Fire Department shortly after 3 p.m.

Fire Chief Randy MacDonald said firefighters were able to quickly locate the blaze in a sauna.

“We were able to tear the wall apart and put the fire out,” said MacDonald, who described the sauna as “gutted” and noted a sprinkler system was also activated by the fire.

The Guardian was unsuccessful in reaching the owner of Spa Total Fitness Centre.

However, the centre’s Twitter account provided an update stating it would remain closed on Tuesday.

“We are working very hard to have the facility open to you all again very soon. Thank you very much for your patience during this time,” it stated.

Firefighters were still investigating the cause of the blaze Sunday evening. The Guardian was unable to reach the city’s fire inspector Monday.

Charlottetown police and Island EMS also responded to the scene.

Police and mall management conducted the evacuation.

Sgt. Dave Pound of Charlottetown Police Services said all available officers responded to the call and the evacuation went “very smoothly.”

“I’ve got to give credit to mall staff and security for their efforts in getting everyone out safely,” said Pound, who estimated there were a few hundred people in the mall at the time of the evacuation. “There would easily have been as many or more in the cinemas, they were full at the time (of the fire).”

The Cineplex Cinemas located in the mall was evacuated during the fire but was later given the OK to re-open Sunday evening. The theatre resumed normal operations on Monday, although the rest of the mall was closed.

The incident also attracted a number of onlookers as smoke billowed out of the building.

Pound said police made an effort to block off entrances to the mall property in order to reduce congestion while others were leaving the parking lots.

Once firefighters had extinguished the blaze, they remained on scene in order to clear out the smoke.

“The smoke was hard to get out of the building,” said MacDonald.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Hamilton, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system keeps overnight fire from spreading at shopping plaza

Firefighters were called to a blaze last Thursday night at plaza in East Hamilton.  Officials say a fire broke out in a garbage bin behind a strip mall at 640 Queenston Rd. The fire spread into the Mark’s clothing store, triggering the sprinkler system.  Hamilton Fire spokesperson Claudio Mostacci says smoke and water damage is estimated at roughly $100,000.  No injuries were reported.  The fire is being considered suspicious and the Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Palm Springs, CA – Hallway fire at outdoor shopping plaza limited by automatic sprinkler system

Palm Springs firefighters put out an early Sunday morning blaze in downtown Palm Springs. Crews got the call of the fire at around 6 a.m. and found smoke in a building at the Mercado Plaza on Palm Canyon Drive. Firefighters say the blaze was contained in a exterior hallway by the sprinkler system. This blaze comes after a dumpster fire in the same area about a month ago.  An owner of Maracas Cantina says it’s frustrating this has happened more than once. “You don’t want to have these things coming up and as a business owner, it’s really disruptive,” Todd Flood, an owner of Maracas Cantina, said. “We’re going to open a couple hours late today and we miss some business.”  The fire did not cause any restaurants to close, just delays for some businesses opening, according to Flood. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Rehoboth Beach, MA – Fire at outlet mall caused by malfunctioning fluorescent light controlled by sprinkler system

A fire March 22 in the Ralph Lauren Polo outlet caused $5,000 in damage, officials say. Firefighters from Rehoboth Beach, Indian River and Lewes responded to the Midway Outlets at 4:19 a.m. for an automatic fire alarm and found a smoke-filled store, said Harry Miller, chief deputy state fire marshal. A sprinkler system was activated and kept flames under control, Miller said. No one was injured.  Miller said the fire was caused by a malfunction in a fluorescent light fixture which ignited combustible material nearby. He said damage was $5,000.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Lone Tree, CO – Storage room fire at shopping mall extinguished by sprinkler system

The sprinkler system extinguished a small fire inside Park Meadows Mall on Thursday afternoon, South Metro Fire Rescue said.  The fire was contained to a storage room in a back hall, officials said.  The food court was closed and evacuated while crews made sure everything was safe. The rest of the mall remained open.  Firefighters were leaving the scene a little after 3 p.m. The food court was likely to reopen soon after that.

Retail, Shopping Mall

San Jose, CA – Sprinkler system activates to limit spread of fire at retail strip mall

Firefighters knocked down a two-alarm fire this morning at a strip mall in San Jose, according to a San Jose Fire Department spokesman. At 3:18 a.m., fire crews responded to the blaze at a strip mall at 2455 Alvin Ave. At the scene firefighters found smoke coming from the roof, according to fire Capt. Brad Cloutier. At 3:31 a.m., the blaze was upgraded to two-alarms. Firefighters continued their attack on the fire, which was quickly knocked down. Coutier said no one was in the building when the fire broke out and there were no injuries to firefighters. The fire caused some damage to the building’s attic and the sprinkler system that was activated by the blaze, Cloutier said. Cloutier said that some businesses in the mall will probably have to be closed today due to the damage, and fire officials are working this morning to contact business owners. Crews will remain on the scene this morning to ensure hot spots are out, and traffic in the area might be affected, Cloutier said.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Odessa, TX – Sprinkler system activates in fire at retail store in shopping mall

Odessa Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the At Home located at Music City Mall on Sunday night, which is now under investigation as possible arson. An auto sprinkler alarm notified OFR of the fire, which they responded to around 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Music City Mall, 4101 E. 42nd St, Odessa Spokeswoman Andrea Goodson said. Goodson said there is little detail available on the fire due to it being under investigation, but Goodson said it was contained fairly quickly and there were no injuries reported. An At Home employee said the store is currently open, but about half of the store is closed off due to the damage.

Restaurant, Shopping Mall

Casper, WY – Single sprinkler contains shopping mall restaurant fire until firefighters arrive

At approximately 12:00 AM Sunday morning, February 4th, Casper Fire-EMS responded to a fire alarm at the 600 block of Southeast Wyoming Boulevard, the Eastridge Mall. Firefighters say that they arrived and found a fire in a storage closet area of a restaurant in the building. The fire was accessed and extinguished a short time after arrival. There were no occupants of the building at the time of the fire.

No injuries were reported as a result. A cause is yet to be determined and remains under investigation. Prior to arrival of firefighters, a single head in the fire sprinkler system in the building activated. The action of the system controlled the fire until firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze. Officials say in a written statement to media, that the fire was contained to the storage area and damage was minimal. A value of damage to the building and contents has not been determined. 5 units of Casper Fire-EMS initially responded. They were assisted by Casper Police and the Wyoming Medical Center.

Casper Fire-EMS says that the fire illustrates the value of fire sprinkler systems. “The presence of the system in this case limited spread of the fire to other areas of the structure. What could have been a well-developed and growing fire was controlled in the area of origin until arrival of firefighters,” officials say in the written statement. “These systems represent an important life safety and property protection component of modern structures.”

Retail, Shopping Mall

Woodstock, GA – Afternoon fire at video game store put out by sprinkler system

A video game store suffered interior damage following a fire reported late Friday morning in Woodstock. Firefighters with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services and Woodstock Fire & Rescue were dispatched to Max Video Games at 6424 Bells Ferry Road around 11:30 a.m. Jan. 12.  Firefighters arrived at the shopping mall located across from Walmart to find “light smoke coming out of the back” of the video store’s building, Cherokee County Fire said in a press release.

Those firefighters ventured inside the building to find the sprinkler system had been activated, which put out the fire, the agency added. Cherokee fire investigator Shane Daniel said the building suffered interior damage due to fire, smoke and water. There were no injuries, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Max Video Games is the company that bought out Play N Trade and relocated its operations from 2290 Towne Lake Parkway to the shopping center at the corner of Bells Ferry Road and Eagle Drive, according to a September 2014 post on its Facebook page.

As Patch readers recall, Play N Trade suffered a serious blow in September 2013 when a fire set during an armed robbery gutted a good portion of that business while it was housed at 2290 Eagle Drive. Play N Trade’s owner, Troy Brazelton, suffered second- and third-degree burns on his extremities due to the fire. Police offered a reward and interviewed witnesses related to that incident, but have not made an arrest in the case.  Return to Patch for updates.