UPDATE: Niles Walmart fully open following Friday’s fire
Published 9:14 am Saturday, April 27, 2019
NILES — The Niles Walmart is fully operational following a fire that was determined to be deliberately set inside the store Friday.
The store, located at 2107 S. 11th St., was closed much of Friday afternoon as emergency personnel put out and investigated the blaze, which is suspected to have been set in the clothing department.
The blaze occurred at approximately 3:39 p.m. Friday. All employees and customers were able to exit the store without injuries.
When the store reopened at around 8 p.m. Friday, the grocery section of the store was blocked off. Store officials say this measure was taken as the health department tested food items to be sure they were safe to consume and not impacted by the blaze.
“We are fully open today,” said Scott Ruoff, a store manager. “We just had to get the OK [to sell food].”