Fire Destroys Phoenix Safeway Store

PHOENIX, AZ — A Safeway grocery store in Phoenix burned Wednesday evening in a three-alarm fire that produced columns of smoke visible from miles away. The cause remains under investigation, but authorities are leaning toward the possibility that it may have been sparked by an earlier microburst and heavy downpour that caused part of the store’s roof to collapse.

The fire at the store near 35th and Northern avenues broke out about 6 p.m., the Phoenix Fire Department said. Firefighters from Phoenix and Glendale cleared employees and customers from the store and were aggressively attacking “a robust working fire” in the rear of the store when a section of the roof collapsed, forcing them to pull back.

Firefighters who stayed behind to make sure everyone was out safely were forced to leave when flames and smoke filled the inside of the store, Phoenix fire Capt. Rob McDade told the Arizona Republic.

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“The seasoned captain on it said when he turned around, it was like a haboob, the flame and the smoke, they could hear it rushing through the store, so they ran out, jumped out of the store, hit the deck,” McDade said. “Smoke and fire came above them.”

No injuries were reported.

For more, go to the Arizona Republic.

Photo via Shutterstock