RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — Officials say a fire inside a Columbia area Walmart was kept in check by the sprinkler system but appears to have been intentionally set. Police have arrested a suspect.
The fire happened around 10:15 a.m. at the Walmart Supercenter on Garners Ferry Road in Lower Richland, a spokesperson for Columbia-Richland Fire said. Crews arrived to find smoke in the store and put out what remained of the fire.
Preliminary information from the department suggests that the fire involved merchandise and is believed to have caused $300,000 to 400,000 worth of damage to store property and merchandise.
A fire department spokesperson said that the store may be closed "for some time."
Later in the afternoon, Columbia Police released a statement and photos of a man they believe intentionally set the fire. Around 11 p.m., police announced that the suspect had been identified and arrested.
Columbia Police say Laurence Blocker is charged with second degree arson.
The company has several other stores in the area, the nearest to the Garners Ferry area being on Forest Drive in the Forest Acres area just west of Fort Jackson.
On Thursday afternoon, a Walmart corporate spokesperson released a short statement regarding its plans in the meantime.
"As an essential store to our community, our goal is to ensure the safety of our associates, assess any damage and reopen our Columbia store as quickly as possible," the statement said. "In the meantime, we are working with our Supercenter at 5420 Forest Dr. in Columbia to temporarily manage our customers’ shopping and prescription needs. The store can be reached at 803.782.0323."