By Mike Hazlip—
The Safeway store on Greenback Lane near San Juan Avenue was evacuated Monday after an electrical fire in the manager’s office caused the supermarket to close for several hours.
Crews responded to the Oct. 2 fire at about 8:30 a.m. and were at the scene for just over an hour, according to call logs. Battalion Chief Parker Wilbourn told The Sentinel the fire’s origin appears to be a battery charging unit, something he said is “definitely becoming more common.”
“Good stop by sprinklers and crews to limit damage,” Wilbourn said. “Good coordination and fast response by the City of Citrus Heights.”
Wilbourn said removing batteries from chargers overnight and storing them away from the charger can help prevent fires related to battery chargers.
Wendy Gutshall, a spokesperson for the Northern California Division of Safeway confirmed with The Sentinel on Monday that there was a fire in the manager’s office. She said there were no injuries and the store re-opened after “a brief period.”
