The Panorama City Walmart store at 8333 N. Van Nuys Blvd. is recovering from damage caused by a fire that occurred on March 18 and left the store closed, according to the company.
Firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at 6:22 p.m. as the store’s evacuation was already underway. Crews located a fire on the second floor in a retail area that was being held at bay by sprinklers, according to LAFD Spokesperson Margaret Stewart.
While firefighters attacked the flames, other members of the crew worked to locate risers and shut off water to the sprinklers, which dispense 15 to 25 gallons of water per minute, to minimize water damage.
More than 70 firefighters fully extinguished the fire in 53 minutes. Crews remained on scene for several hours following the incident to remove standing water and clear the building of smoke.
Los Angeles Police Department officers were dispatched to the store after firefighter crews reported several people looting during the fire. There are currently no descriptions of the suspects and no information on what may have been stolen.
Two employees and two customers were medically evaluated and declined to be transported to a hospital, according to Stewart.
“As an essential store to our community, our goal is to assess any damage and reopen our Panorama City store as quickly as possible,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement. “In the meantime, we are working with our store at 14530 Nordhoff St. (in Panorama City) to temporarily manage our customers’ shopping and pharmacy needs.”