Category Archives: Shopping Mall

Retail, Shopping Mall

Evansville, IN – Structure fire at nail salon contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters were responding to an apparent structure fire at a West side business Saturday evening.

The fire apparently originated at Pretty Nails nail salon, according to scanner traffic. Responders were working to get the building’s sprinkler system turned off, but the fire was stopped.

The call came in around 8:15 p.m. According to scanner traffic, Evansville and Vanderburgh County officers are blocking all east-west on Pearl Drive. Motorists are advised to avoid the area.

The address on the call was 5405 Pearl Drive, which is the location of a strip mall that houses Buffalo Wild Wings. Eye-Mart and Crazy Buffet as well as the nail salon.

According to scanner traffic, multiple fire and rescue units were staging at the AMC Theatre just down the street. The site of the fire was safely evacuated.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Meridian, ID – Fire at nail salon in strip mall contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters converged on a Meridian strip mall Wednesday night after flames broke out inside a business there.  The fire was first reported at about 9:20 p.m. in a row of shops and businesses along South Meridian Road near the intersection with Gem Avenue.  Meridian Fire battalion chief Tyler Rountree said the fire appears to have started in a salon called The Nail Place, and that crews were able to knock the flames down quickly after arriving on the scene.  The fire was big enough to trip the building’s sprinkler system. Rountree said the fire started in the back of the nail salon. It did not spread to neighboring businesses, although crews did go into the businesses to make sure.  No injuries were reported.  A fire investigator was on scene late Wednesday night. At this point, there is no word what caused the fire.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Baton Rouge, LA – Mall fire extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Emergency officials responded to reports of the smell of smoke and a possible fire at the Mall of Louisiana around 7 p.m. Monday night.

An official with the St. George Fire Department says they discovered a small fire in the interior of a wall in Vivos, which set off a sprinkler, getting people’s attention. The fire department was able to put out the fire with a hand extinguisher and did not have to run a hose into the building. The fire reportedly started in the bathroom of the store.

A fire investigator is en route to determine the cause of the fire.

Sources report that areas of the mall were evacuated by mall security as a precaution. No injuries were reported. The all clear was given around 8 p.m. and patrons were allowed back inside.

Other Business, Shopping Mall

Newington, VA – Dryer fire at business in strip mall is contained by sprinkler system; Damage minimized

Investigators have identified lint buildup in a dryer as the cause of the Thursday, June 14 Newington strip mall fire, the Fairfax County County and Rescue Department says. Fire sprinklers saved the middle unit strip mall business in the 8000 block of Rolling Road from significant damage. Damages were about $600, and no one was injured.  Fairfax County Fire and Rescue and Fort Belvoir Fire units had responded to the fire around 8:31 p.m. Five employees and one customer were inside at the time of the fire. An employee noticed the rear of the store filling with smoke, and all were able to evacuate.  A fire sprinkler activated and kept the fire contained until firefighters arrived. The fire came from the rear storage area of the building and was quickly put out within 10 minutes.

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.