Walmart Supercenter in Augusta was briefly evacuated Saturday when a fire alarm sounded. Fire officials determined that there was no fire and shopping was able to resume within a half hour. Photo courtesy of from Sara Gagne/Augusta Neighborhood Watch Facebook page
AUGUSTA — The Walmart in Augusta was evacuated at 3 p.m. on Saturday due to the activation of a fire alarm, officials said.
The Augusta Fire Department responded to the Walmart Supercenter at 201 Civic Center Drive and by 3:20 p.m., the scene was cleared.
According to the fire department, the fire alarm was triggered by a mechanism within the sprinkler system and not because of a fire. The sprinklers did not go off.
It is unknown at this time how many shoppers were evacuated, but shopping was able to resume by 3:30 p.m.
The Walmart Supercenter store manager, who would only identify himself as Joel, declined to confirm information or answer additional questions. A corporate spokesperson confirmed that customers evacuated out of “an abundance of caution” and confirmed that the store resumed normal operations within 20 minutes of the alarm going off.
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