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Fires deliberately set inside Cedar Park Walmart caught on video


The Cedar Park Fire Department says two fires were deliberately set inside a Walmart store early Wednesday morning. (Photos/video courtesy: Jackie Sinclair)
The Cedar Park Fire Department says two fires were deliberately set inside a Walmart store early Wednesday morning. (Photos/video courtesy: Jackie Sinclair)
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UPDATE: Officials with Walmart say the Cedar Park location is not ready to reopen in time for Black Friday shoppers, and there is no current timeline for the store to reopen.

Officials say store associates will be allowed to work at other locations so they can still get their hours, and shoppers are encouraged to shop at other nearby locations.

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(CBS Austin) -- Firefighters responded to a fire inside a Walmart store in Cedar Park early Wednesday morning.

The Cedar Park Fire Department says two fires were deliberately set inside the Walmart located at 201 Walton Way, near the intersection of 183 and Whitestone Blvd., around 1:42 a.m.

Facebook user Jackie Sinclair posted video on of the fire: (WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE):

Sinclair said she was getting some last minute shopping done ahead of Thanksgiving when an employee walked by frantically and said something.

"I couldn't understand her and then I walked up and there was these big flames everywhere and I was like 'oh, okay that's why she said there's a fire,' I'm like 'time to go!'" Sinclair said.

But she couldn't pass up the opportunity to take out her cell phone.

"I was like hang on, let me show the kids. I'm one of those moms I show my kids everything," Sinclair said.

The video she captured shows flames in the clothing section of the store shooting up as high as the ceiling. That's when Sinclair decided it was time to get out.

"Oh time to go! That's a little too big for my taste," Sinclair said as she continued to record the scene on her phone.

"Next thing you know there's all these flames everywhere and this big cloud of smoke. It was crazy high. You wouldn't think that something could start that fast, but it did.

According to Cedar Park Fire Marshal Randle Blesing, the suspect -- who is not currently in custody -- set one fire near the clothing section and another near the vacuums.

"No, the suspect is not in custody at this time, but we have interviewed that person," Blesing said.

Blesing added that the suspect is cooperating with the investigation and said that they have obtained video evidence from inside the store.

The store's sprinkler system was activated and the fires were extinguished by Cedar Park firefighters. The store was evacuated and no one was injured.

CPFD says the suspect is not a store employee, and an arson investigation is ongoing.

The store is currently closed, and it is unclear if it will reopen for Thanksgiving Day shopping.

All day Wednesday would-be shoppers have been turned away as they pull into the parking lot.

"I was just shopping try to hurry up and get me a turkey for Thanksgiving and I came up here and they tell me there's been a fire. Now I have to go somewhere else it's very unfortunate that that happened," said Cedar Park resident Omar Moore.

Cleaning crews are on site mopping up the mess that was left behind.

Blesing said the damage consists mostly of smoke and water damage from the sprinklers that were activated.


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