One woman charged, damage around $3M after fire at Kitchener Walmart (update)

It happened again.

The toilet paper aisle inside a Kitchener Walmart store has been hit by fire.

Police and fire crews responded to calls about a garbage bin fire outside of a business located at Sunrise Shopping Centre at about 9 p.m. on Thursday night.

After that, they received another call about a fire located inside of the Sunrise Walmart location. Eyewitnesses say the fire appeared to be in the toilet paper aisle.

Police say they evacuated the Walmart as Kitchener Fire officials put out both fires.

Regional police have updated the damage estimate to $3-million after an investigation on Friday.

A 42 year old Kitchener woman is now facing multiple charges, including Arson – Damage to Property, Arson – Disregard Human Life, Mischief over $5,000, Theft under $5,000 and Obstruct Police. The woman is in police custody, awaiting a bail hearing.

Nobody was hurt.

It's the second time in less than a year the store has been impacted by fire.

Last October, it was one of three Walmarts in Kitchener and Waterloo targeted in a single night, causing an estimated $12-million in damage.

The stores were all closed for approximately a month as a result.

Fire officials tell me one person was brought into custody, damage is estimated at about $1M and the store is closed to customers this morning. https://t.co/HL6Cwvk9rA

— Mark Paré (@MarkLPare) September 10, 2021

Walmart also provided 570 NEWS with the following statement regarding Thursday's fire:

“Last night, emergency services attended to a fire at our Walmart Kitchener Supercentre (1400 Ottawa St.). Thankfully, all associates and customers were safe. The store is currently closed as we carry out the necessary clean-up and repairs. The store will reopen as soon as possible.

As many in the community know, this is the same store that was the target of arson last October. This store has been completely re-stocked and repaired following the previous incident. This latest incident, again appears to be a criminal act that will negatively impact many of our customers and associates. We are shocked and very disappointed. This latest incident is unacceptable and we will do everything we can to work with officials as they investigate further.

Our associates and the Kitchener customers who rely on this store deserve nothing less. We want to thank all first responders who attended last night. Walmart will absolutely support our associates while the store is closed. They will be paid for their scheduled shifts and will be offered the opportunity to work in neighbouring stores to support the community as customers turn to these stores for their local needs.”