Explosion rips through Santa Clara Fred Meyer
EUGENE, Ore. – Eugene Police arrested one man Sunday afternoon in connection with a series of explosions at the Santa Clara Fred Meyer store.
It all started around 3:30 p.m. in the sporting goods department.
According to police, the suspect was shoplifting and he fled the store. In the process, police said "something happened" at a propane tank inside the store that started a fire.
District Chief Mark Grover said the fire was hot enough to trigger the sprinkler system. There were hundreds of people inside. However, Grover said no one was hurt. Customers and employees cleared out of the building, still in disbelief of the inferno inside.
"I'm just standing there," said cashier Jason Tomlinson. "I'm ringing an order up and I hear this frantic page over the overhead. I look over and I see this wall of flames in the back and I'm thinking, 'Oh my gosh, there is a huge fire. Time to get going.'"
Tomlinson said he helped get customers out of the building, telling them to leave their groceries behind. The store is closed for the night. No word on when it will reopen.
A witness took down the fleeing man's license plate number. Police were able to catch up with him a short time later.
