Shoppers at TJ Maxx in South Lake Tahoe got more than they bargained for on Monday night.

A fire that started in an upstairs mechanical room set off the sprinkler system at 6:59pm Jan. 2.

“For the most part there is a bunch of water on the floor. It’s more of a huge mess than anything,” Battalion Chief Tim Spencer told Lake Tahoe News. “The whole building was full of smoke when we got here.”

Spencer said a heater in the second floor room sparked the blaze. The fire itself did not reach the main store area.

A manager at the store deferred comment to the district office in Sacramento, which was closed.

The local store normally closes at 9pm. It’s not known how many people were in the store at the time the fire broke out. No injuries were reported.

The store will be closed until the damage to the merchandise can be assessed, the smell of smoke is removed, and the water and structural issues are handled. It is too soon to determine how long that will take.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report