Retail, Shopping Mall Cleveland, TN – Sprinklers help keep dumpster fire from spreading into store February 10, 2016 viking210 One of the anchor stores at Bradley Square Mall was closed Sunday after a fire occurred in a dumpster/trash compactor just outside the business. At approximately 1:15 p.m., the Cleveland Fire Department responded to a fire reported at the Belk department store. According to CFD reports, firefighters found the fire in the dumpster outside the loading dock of the store. The flames were quickly extinguished. Additional units were called to the scene and made entry to the stock room area of Belk, where they found heavy smoke. The sprinkler system had also been activated and water was flowing into the stock room, reports said. The fire in the dumpster was brought under control approximately 15 minutes after the first fire units arrived, and the sprinkler system was soon disabled. Heavy-duty fans were brought in to remove any residual smoke from the business. Battalion Chief Robert Gaylor said in his report that there was substantial smoke and water damage in the stock room area, and some smoke damage in the store’s shopping area. The store manager told the fire department that Belk would close for the remainder of the day and reopen on Monday. “The mall manager as well as security and the store manager were on the scene and were very helpful in assisting us with evacuating the mall and securing the area,” Gaylor’s report stated. Due to the nature of the fire, the Arson Investigation Division was called to the scene and was attempting to determine the cause of the fire Sunday afternoon. It remains under investigation today. No injuries were reported from the fire.
