July 19, 1990 0630 hours. A sprinkler system doused a smoldering fire at Sears in the Smith Haven Mall early yesterday, but not before water and smoke caused more than $1 million in damage, officials said.
The Sears, Roebuck and Co. store filled with smoke overnight before the slow-burning fire activated an automatic sprinkler on the second floor about 6:30 a.m.
Despite the fire and the lingering smell of smoke, the store reopened for business about 11:30 a.m. yesterday, two hours behind schedule. Although the million-dollar damage estimate was made by police and fire officials, it was not immediately known what merchandise was affected. Sears officials at the store on Route 25 in Lake Grove declined to give any information on the fire or damages.
“It’s business as usual,” said Michael Kinsley, an operations manager at the store. “It seems like a pretty good day.” Kinsley said he did not know if the store would hold a fire sale.
About 75 firefighters from Nesconset, Selden, St. James and Centereach responded to an alarm activated by the sprinkler system. They used a heat sensor to locate the fire in a small office on the second floor near the store’s warehouse, fire investigators said. The flames heavily damaged the office, which was used to coordinate displays, but did not spread because of the sprinkler, they said.
“If it weren’t for the sprinkler system, the fire probably would have taken out the entire second floor,” said Brookhaven Fire Marshal Bill Hart, one of the investigators on the scene.
Investigators said they are not sure what caused the fire but do not believe it was arson. The fire could have been smoldering for hours – perhaps starting soon after the store closed at 9 the night before – before heat finally activated a sprinkler, they said. Only a few sprinklers were involved, but water dripped down from the second floor onto the first.
Firefighters ventilated the 213,000-square-foot building, and Sears employees cleaned and mopped up yesterday morning, though a faint smoky odor remained. Investigators said, however, that the smoke and water heavily damaged clothing and other merchandise.
“They have a heavy loss – in excess of a million dollars,” said Suffolk County police arson Det. Douglas Lotton as he left the store yesterday morning.
Inside the store yesterday afternoon, some ceiling panels had been removed on the first floor, and water dripped from the ceiling into a half-dozen trash containers that had been placed among the displays for vacuum cleaners, lamps and refrigerators. The refrigerator and lamp sections were blocked off by yellow “caution” tape, but the other departments – including clothing – were open to customers.
Upstairs, the carpet was wet in the linens area, and workers were wiping their shoes as they emerged from a door marked “Employees Only.” Some customers, however, seemed unaware that there had been a fire.
“I was just told by a sales lady that there was a fire,” said Kay Martin, of Hauppauge, who was shopping for a birthday card. “I thought maybe they had a leak because of the heavy rain we’ve had.”
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