Other - Retail, Retail Meridian, MS – Fire at Salvation Army store extinguished by sprinkler system June 1, 2015 viking210 The Salvation Army Thrift Store in Meridian suffered an overnight fire. “It seems it has wiped out our entire contents, either with water damage or the smoke damage,” said Salvation Army commander, Maj. Glenn Riggs. “So, we’re in a real difficult situation because we have to close and reset.” Riggs says the building suffered minor damage and the fire was luckily put out by the sprinkler system. Riggs says it hasn’t been confirmed, but it appears the fire was electrical and started around the cashier’s pod. Cleanup and clearing are the first tasks to be completed. After that, Riggs says The Salvation Army will need the public’s help. “We can’t open with an empty store,” said Riggs. “We do sell the items and the reason we sell them is, we sell them to those who can afford them, so we are able to give items to those who cannot.” Riggs says he is asking that the community be patient for the moment as the organization works to recover from the tragedy. He said he hopes when the store opens again, the community will be generous with donations. The Salvation Army Thrift Store will be closed until further notice and no donations can be accepted at this time. However, the donations of sellable items will be welcomed in a few weeks.
