McKinleyville Safeway fire attributed to combustible materials stored too close to hot machinery

MCKINLEYVILLE, CA. – A built-in sprinkler system is being credited for preventing a fire at a Safeway store from being much worse.

The fire broke out at the Safeway on City Center Road in McKinleyville about 7:30PM Tuesday.

Arcata firefighters arrived to find smoke pouring from a vent on the back of the building.

The battalion chief was familiar with the store’s layout and realized the fire was in a machinery room above a storage area.

Firefighters got a hose into the area, and that combined with the overhead sprinklers doused the flames.

They determined that combustible materials stored too close to hot machinery caused the fire to start.

No one was hurt, and damages totaled about $2,000.