Employees Quickly Extinguish Safeway Fire

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The Assistant Fire Marshal responds to a fire at the Bristow Safeway. The Assistant Fire Marshal responds to a fire at the Bristow Safeway.

A fire in the backroom of Safeway at Braemar Village Plaza on Sudley Manor Drive in Bristow, Friday, was extinguished quickly according to employees.

The fire started in the back room, near the water heater around noon. Tom Lineweaver was one of the employees to rush to the back with a fire extinguisher.

“A young lady, working in dairy said the fire is down that way,” said Lineweaver, so he grabbed three fire extinguishers and ran to the back room. Along the way, Lineweaver handed one of the extinguishers to his coworker Steve Geber, who also helped to put out the fire.

Lineweaver said he was not scared since the fire, which began behind the water heater and ran up the wall, looked “totally controllable.”

Meanwhile, Geber rushed to call 911, and spread the word, calling “fire,” to alert everyone and evacuated them from the store.

Geber said he remained calm while responding to the situation.

“This is the second fire I’ve been involved in in 30 years, so I knew what to do- just get everyone out as quickly as possible,” Geber said.

Safeway General Manager Doug Webb said his employees worked to get everyone out of the store right away “even the customers. They didn’t want to leave, but we made them.”

Webb confirms that the fire started near the hot water heater. He said that no one was injured and there was no damage done to the store.

Multiple fire engines quickly arrived on the scene, but fire fighters found the fire already extinguished. They provided industrial sized blowers to clear out all the smoke.

Thirty minutes later, fire fighters allowed the store to reopen. Some customers returned to check out their food and employees worked to return food that was left behind back onto the shelves.

Webb said the store is not allowed to sell any prepared food until they get a new water heater, but he has called a plumber and they are delivering a new water heater that should arrive by Friday night.

Webb said it was an “accidental fire,” and “thanks to quick thinking by two employees who grabbed a fire extinguisher and put it out there was no damage; no nothing.”

The Assistant Fire Marshal said the fire appeared to be accidental.

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