PALMYRA, Maine — A fire caused by a valve malfunction prompted the evacuation of the local Wal-Mart store late Sunday afternoon, a Newport Fire Department official said Sunday night.
The fire, which occurred outside the store, was reported by a passerby, Assistant Fire Chief Ricky Turner said. The malfunction involved a valve on small portable heaters used to vaporize propane as it enters the store’s heating system.
Turner said the fire began shortly before 4 p.m. and that the store was evacuated for about two hours. No injuries were reported and there was no damage to the inside of the building, he said.
Approximately 60 firefighters from Newport, Corinna and Pittsfield responded, as did an investigator from the state fire marshal’s office.
Turner said that repairmen from Dead River planned to make repairs overnight and that the fire investigator would return to the store Monday morning.