Fire
starts at Home Depot
Cause is under
investigation; arson has not been ruled
out
Saturday, November
20, 2004
BY ART AISNER
News
Staff Reporter
Customers at the Home Depot in
Pittsfield Township were quickly ushered
out of the store Friday evening after a
suspicious fire broke out in the bath
section, triggering the sprinkler system.
Firefighters responded to the store at
3300 Carpenter Road at about 7:05 p.m. and
found smoke banking down from the ceiling
and flames licking storage racks near the
rear of the store, said fire officials.
Assistant Manager David Rock said
employees in their respective departments
swept through their work areas to make
sure no one was left inside and
firefighters conducted a head count upon
arrival.
"We have procedures to follow for
fires and everything went smoothly,"
Rock said. "We saw flames and a lot
of smoke, but the alarms went off like
they were supposed to and we just got
everyone out as fast as we could."
All the employees and customers were
evacuated before firefighters arrived,
said Deputy Fire Director Al D'Agostino.
Two employees were transported to St.
Joseph Mercy Hospital, complaining of
discomfort likely due to smoke inhalation.
About 25-30 employees were inside the
store at the time the fire alarms sounded,
said Rock. No estimates of customers
inside were available Friday night, but
employees said Friday evening is generally
a busy time.
The cause is under investigation and
damage estimates were not available Friday
night. Detectives were called to the scene
and began interviewing about a dozen
employees who were asked to remain in the
store parking lot.
D'Agostino said he could not rule out
arson and that investigators intended to
review the store's security cameras.
"Maybe I won't be getting that
bathroom done this weekend," said
Greg Miller, of Milan, who was turned away
by officers as he tried to shop for
building materials. It was unknown if the
store would be open for business today,
officials said.
Art Aisner can be reached at
aaisner@annarbornews.com or (734)
994-6823.
© 2004 Ann Arbor
News.
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