Fire outside Shawnessy Value Village sends smoke billowing into store

Calgary firefighters extinguish a blaze at the Value Village in Shawnessy on Friday, July 26, 2024.

Calgary firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a blaze at a Shawnessy strip mall on Friday.

The strip mall, in the 300 block of Shawville Boulevard S.E., houses a Value Village.

The fire department says it appears the fire broke out in the loading dock behind the store, near its drop-off location.

Crews had to cut a hole in the trash compactor to get access to the flames.

The fire was knocked down quickly, but the incident caused the store to be evacuated.

Calgary Fire Department spokesperson Carol Henke said there was a large response because of the size of the building.

"Because we have several businesses that are connected as a strip mall, we want to make sure we have all the right resources at the right time on site," she explained.

"We can always turn them back and return them to their stations if they're not needed."

No injuries were reported.

The Value Village was closed for a period of time as crews worked to rid the store of smoke and make it safe for customers to enter.

- With files from Kevin Fleming