Smoke damage could be extensive after late-night fire in Modesto Sears store

Employees inside the Sears store at Vintage Faire Mall late Monday night likely kept a fire from becoming much worse, according to the Modesto Fire Department.

Staff working late to prepare for some type of special event Tuesday heard a noise, went to investigate and saw the escalator had stopped working and was emitting smoke, MFD Division Chief Tim Tietjen said.

They called 911, and at about 11:25 p.m., five engines, two trucks, two battalion chiefs and a fire investigator were dispatched to the store. The first crew on scene found significant smoke on both floors of Sears, which is at the east end of the mall.

Firefighters found smoke and flames coming from the center of the escalator and disassembled it to reach the heart of the fire, Tietjen said. Once found, it quickly was extinguished.

A belt on the escalator had malfunctioned, starting the fire, the division chief said.. The Sears employees did everything right, including hitting the emergency shutoff for the escalator and quickly calling 911, he said. "The assistant manager had used two dry chemical extinguishers and did a good job of keeping it in check," Tietjen said.

Clearing the store of smoke was challenging, he said, because the second story has only one exit to the exterior of the mall. Firefighters placed fans to create positive pressure ventilation to get the smoke out.

There was initial concern about smoke spreading from Sears into the mall, Tietjen said. But the roll-out gates used to close the store at night have a plastic covering that contained the smoke.

Crews were on scene about two hours to clear smoke from the store, Tietjen said. The Sears manager told him the store contains about $4 million in inventory. Though there was no fire or water damage beyond the escalator, the smoke damage could be widespread.

The Sears employees contacted its insurer and corporate staff, who will do an assessment Tuesday. Power to the store was shut down, Tietjen said, and was to be checked by electricians Tuesday.

Signs posted outside the store, including at Sears Auto, said both would be closed Tuesday. An employee working in the closed auto service center noted that the recorded message on the local Sears automated phone line indicates everything will be closed at least through Wednesday.

A sign outside the Avis and Budget car rentals at Sears Auto said that pickups and returns would be made at the Modesto Airport locations.

In an emailed response to The Bee on Tuesday afternoon, a Sears corporate spokesman said only, "On Monday, a small fire started in an escalator at the Sears store in the Vintage Faire Mall. The fire was quickly extinguished and there were no resulting injuries. The cause remains under investigation. The store is currently closed and we anticipate it will soon reopen."

There was no immediate response to a follow-up inquiry on inventory damage.

This story was originally published June 19, 2018 at 7:36 AM with the headline "Smoke damage could be extensive after late-night fire in Modesto Sears store."