By Mike Kinney
The Richmond Target store is likely to reopen in the first week of July following an arson fire last week, a company spokesperson said.
Target spokesperson Brian Harper-Tibaldo said the fire was not devasting inside the store but the smoke damage required extensive clean-up and restocking of inventory. “Safety is our top priority,” he said.
The fire occurred in an aisle of the store in the 4500 block of Macdonald Avenue on Thursday, June 16. The automatic sprinkler system at the store helped keep an arson fire in the store “small and nearly extinguished,” according to Richmond Firefighters Local 188.
“Crews arrived at scene to find the occupants and employees already safely out front,” fire officials said.
Fire crews found smoke in the store coming from a fire in one of the aisles. They doused whatever fire remained after the sprinkler system activated.No one was injured. While the fire damage was limited to a small portion of the aisle, the remainder of the store suffered damage from the sprinkler system, fire officials said.
The store has been closed since the incident.
According to Richmond police, firefighters deemed that the fire was intentionally set. No suspects were located at the scene and the case was referred to fire investigators for followup, police said.
The El Cerrito and Contra Costa County fire departments also assisted with the incident.
