Home Depot Fire caused by electrical short
Columbia firefighters enter the Home Depot store on Clark Lane on Saturday evening. Officials said employees used three fire extinguishers in an attempt to put the fire out. The entire building was filled with heavy smoke as a result of the fire and extinguishers.
Customers were evacuated from the Home Depot at 3215 Clark Lane Saturday due to a fire started by an electrical short, stated a news release from the Columbia Fire Department.
A light fixture between two shelves shorted out and caused the products on one of the shelves to start on fire. The shelf contained several household cleaning products and laminate flooring, the news release stated.
Several employees had attempted to put out the blaze with four to six fire extinguishers before crews arrived. One employee tried to extinguish the fire with a commercial fire hose located in the store and was almost able to before having to evacuate.
Firefighters later used the same hose to put out the blaze.
Fire alarms sounded, but the sprinkler system did not activate, the news release stated.
Initial damage estimates are at $10,000 and no one was injured in the fire.
