An investigation is underway after company officials said a fire was intentionally set inside the Walmart in Waukegan Sunday evening, forcing the store to temporarily close.
The Waukegan Fire Department and Waukegan Police Department responded around 10:30 p.m. Sunday to the Walmart, 3900 Fountain Square Place in Waukegan, for a report of a structure fire.
Firefighters arrived to find smoke showing from the front of the building.
Waukegan Fire Marshal Todd Zupec told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that crews found the sprinkler system had activated due to a fire in the merchandise area of the store.
The sprinkler system extinguished most of the fire.
Firefighters ensured all fire had been extinguished before shutting down the sprinkler system, Zupec said.
Everyone in the store was evacuated with the help of firefighters and police officers.
No injuries were reported and a damage estimate was not immediately available, Zupec said.
The Lake County Health Department was notified and the store is temporarily closed for cleanup.
A Walmart spokesperson told Lake and McHenry County Scanner the fire was intentionally set.
“We’re outraged that someone would intentionally set fire to our Waukegan store and force us to close temporarily,” the spokesperson said.
“We’ll assess any damage and reopen as quickly and safely as possible,” the Walmart spokesperson added.