Frontier Mall was virtually shut down Wednesday evening as North Battleford Fire and Emergency Services were called to what fire officials are calling a suspicious fire at the Real Canadian Wholesale Club.
The call came in at 6:08 p.m. and firefighters on the scene confirmed the store had been evacuated.
"Heat from the flames activated the sprinkler heads in the fire zone, which controlled the fire until firefighters were able to reach the scene and bring the flames under control," said NBFES Fire Chief Kevin Steinborn. "The entire store was full of smoke and our crews utilized thermal imaging cameras to locate the fire and determine if anyone was inside the store."
No one was injured in the blaze.
Stenborn credits staff at the store for the quick evacuation of customers and employees.
Police vehicles blocked off all entrances while a ladder ruck, one rescue unit and three command units converged on the scene. WPD Ambulance, SaskPower and SaskEnergy also responded to the scene.
Steinborn described the NBFES response as timely and says the blaze could have been much worse than it was.
" the fire was burning in an area with plenty of combustibles," he said.
The 16 firefighters sent to contain the blaze were on the scene for three hours. The following day Chief Steinborn and officials from the Fire Commissioner's office conducted a full investigation into the origin and cause of the suspicious fire.
The Battlefords Real Canadian Wholesale Club, owned by Loblaws Canada, is scheduled for closure this month.
