Target Evacuated After Fire Breaks Out in Children's Section

A Target store in Buena Park, California, was evacuated on Tuesday after a fire broke out in the children's clothing section.

Footage posted on social media showed the blaze engulfed a rack of clothing, with a store employee deploying a fire extinguisher in a bid to bring it under control.

The incident took place shortly after 7 p.m. local time (10 p.m. ET) at the store located on the juncture of Orangethorpe and Western avenues.

Orange County Fire Authority firefighters responded to the inferno but it was already out by the time they arrived, according to battalion chief Erik Miranda. He added the store sprinkler system had been deployed, which can also be seen in the 32-second video shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Speaking to local network ABC 7, Guillermo Santander, who had been in the store with his daughter, described what took place.

He said: "We walked in the Target, we see a small flame. We thought it was a Halloween prop. But as we got closer, we heard a pop which was the sprinkler going off. All of a sudden the flame got bigger."

There are no reports of any injuries in the incident though some damage to the store and clothing was visible on social media.

Newsweek has contacted the Target press office for comment by email.

In the clip posted on X, the fire can be seen extending from the floor to the ceiling, whilst water rains down from the sprinkler system. In the last 11 seconds of the video, a man approaches the blaze and deploys a fire extinguisher on it, dimming it substantially, though it is still burning at the end of the footage. As this takes place, a male voice is heard commenting: "The clothes are on fire, somebody lit it on fire probably."

The footage has been viewed more than 8,500 times on X, and received over 250 likes.

Referring to the man with the fire extinguisher, one user commented: "He needs a raise. Just saved the whole giant warehouse."

Another added: "He must have watched a lot of YouTube videos on how to be a fireman."

In August, video was shared on social media showing a mass brawl inside a Target store in Redlands, San Bernardino, with four men attacking another person whilst employees urged customers to keep their distance.

Target was hit by a conservative boycott campaign in June as a response to its Pride Month range, which included LGBTQ+ branded products aimed at children.

The company recorded a 4.8 percent fall in sales in the second quarter of 2023, from April to June, according to its most recent earnings report.