Phantom Smoke at Mall Puzzles Wash. Firefighters

Jan. 20--UNION GAP, Wash. -- Firefighters were called out to the Valley Mall just after 3 p.m. today after reports of a strong smell of smoke in a clothing store called Buckle, Chief Chris Jensen of Union Gap Fire said.

When firefighters arrived, black smoke was seen coming off the roof, but it soon dissipated, he said.

Crews used a ladder truck to inspect the roof of the main mall building and turned off several heating and ventilation units on the roof, then turned them back on one by one to try to locate the source of the smoke.

While alarms at the mall rang for the first several minutes, they were shut off quickly and no one was evacuated. Customers continued to pour into the crowded shopping center, even as five ladder trucks and several ambulances idled outside.

"In this particular case, our first priority is life, then property," Jensen said. "We have to determine where the fire may or may not be at."

The tricky part was that the section of the mall where the smoke came from, at the main entrance, was built with an "older-style" construction, Jensen said, which means there may be hidden spaces where a small fire could be concealed.

"The mall is pretty packed today," Jensen said. ""The concern is if we have a fire in one of those places ... where it's going and how to contain it."

Firefighters inspected the Buckle store, on the first floor of the mall, and confirmed the strong smell of smoke before it dissipated. Store employees said they were not authorized to speak on the matter.

Five fire trucks from Union Gap, the city of Yakima, East Valley and West Valley were on scene, with about 20 firefighters, plus two ambulances.

Copyright 2013 - Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.