NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. --
The manager of a North Miami Beach Costco hopes to reopen the store within a few days after smoke and water damage from an overnight fire forced its closure.
Miami-Dade fire officials believe a short in a flower refrigerator sparked the blaze, igniting palates of paper products in the middle of the warehouse.
There was so much smoke. Our visibility was zero, said Division Chief Pedro Bas.
The fire alarm inside the Costco at Northeast 145th Street and Biscayne Boulevard went off around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. No one was inside the store at the time.
It took 70 firefighters 90 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
Store manager Michael Lonetto said although there is heavy smoke damage and some water damage from the sprinklers, the building itself is in good shape.
A few doors and skylights had to be kicked in for crews to fight the blaze.
The palates of paper products that caught fire were stacked along 60 feet across the floor. Chief Bas said initially there was a concern the palates would tip over and trap firefighters.
We had to maintain a safe distance within the fire area to suppress the fire, Bas said.
Although many products inside the store were damaged, the manager said a lot can be salvaged. Many of the items are wrapped in plastic and were not affected by the smoke or water.
Store employees arriving for their 4 a.m. shifts stayed around throughout the morning, waiting for the electricity to be turned on so they could go inside and start cleaning up.
Lonetto told Local 10 he hopes to have the Costco back in business within the next two or three days.
No one was injured during the blaze.
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