Walmart at Woodgrove Centre in north Nanaimo was closed after a small fire was lit in the rear of the store. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

arson

Purposely lit fire sparks evacuation and closure of Nanaimo Walmart

Feb 23, 2023 | 9:01 AM

NANAIMO — Walmart in the city’s north end was closed following a deliberately lit fire around a stack of diapers.

Fire Rescue crews were called to Walmart at Woodgrove Centre around 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22 after reports of a small fire in the rear of the store.

Reserve Cst. Gary O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW flames in the baby section of Walmart were quickly put out.

“Staff in the Walmart were quick to put it out, they doused it within 60 seconds of the fire but it caused significant smoke damage.”

Walmart closed for the remainder of Wednesday with managers at the front doors directing customers away. A sign on the front door informed shoppers the store would also be closed Thursday.

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Walmart Canada stated its Nanaimo location will re-open as soon as possible following necessary clean-up and repairs.

Walmart in north Nanaimo remains closed after a fire in the back of the store Wednesday afternoon. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Investigators are working with Walmart lost prevention staff to look over security footage in a bid to identify the suspect.

O’Brien said they have a good lead.

“There is a person of interest from the store who was lingering in the store for a long time and we’re just waiting on some good camera footage to identify that person.”

He added once they have the footage, they’ll advance the investigation further.

“We have to connect the dots. One is to first get a picture of this person, send it out to the troops and hopefully we can identify this person then we can have a conversation with that person.”

Should officers come up empty, a call out to the public for help would be made.

A statement from Walmart Canada to NanaimoNewsNOW described the purposely set fire with hundreds of people inside the store shocking, dangerous and shameful.

“Rest assured, we are cooperating fully with the police investigation. We will do everything we can to ensure the arsonist is identified and held accountable, including by assessing our legal options to seek compensation from the arsonist for the damages caused by this act.”

One witness reported to NanaimoNewsNOW a chaotic scene when the flames broke out, including a lot of panic and yelling.

“Code red was called and everyone had to leave immediately,” one person relayed to our newsroom. “People were screaming somewhere in the back of the store to get out. When I left there was about 40 of us trying to evacuate. There was some elderly lady not understanding the situation and kept trying to shop.”

She added some people thought the ordeal was a prank at first.

No injuries were reported from the incident.

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