Updated April 3, 1:15 p.m.
An electrical fire closed Walmart, 1300 Desplaines Ave. in Forest Park, on Saturday, March 31 around 4 p.m., according to Manager Peter Kass.
“A couple of temporary freezers in the back of the store,” caught fire, said Kass.
The Forest Park Fire Department was called and extinguished the fire.
“There was a lot of smoke,” said a security guard.
The store was evacuated and no one was injured. Customers and staff were moved to the front of the store, and a safety sweep was conducted to make sure no one remained in the building, Kass said.
“We have a whole Walmart procedure that happens in emergencies,” said Kass.
At 6:30 p.m. the building had a faint odor of smoke. Employees could be seen in the dimly lit store restocking merchandise left in abandoned carts. A security car and employees blocked off the parking lot entrance and turned customers away.
By Sunday, the store had reopened.
