In Bentonville, Arkansas, on Friday, February 3, 2006, at the 7am shift change, flame and smoke from the roof were reported at the newly opened Lowes store on the north side of the city.
Box 3412 was struck with automatic mutual aid being received from the Bella Vista fire department.
First arriving crews observed flames and black smoke from the center of the roof of the building. A sprinkler head had activated in the store, but the fire was found to have started above the sprinkler system from an elecrical source.
The heat transmitted through the metal roof deck, igniting the styrofoam roof insulation and the plastic roof covering.
Bentonville Fire Department (BFD) Battalion Chief Larry Horton, incident commander, ordered the aerial raised on Truck 1 to access the roof.
The ladder pipe was used to knock the fire down, with a roof crew subsequently opening up to check for extension.
The spread of the fire was minimized by the activation of the sprinkler head inside the building, cooling merchandise, and preventing its ignition from radiant heat.
The store is expecting to re-open in a very few days. No injuries were noted to either store personnel or firefighters.
