Fire damages Dollar General on Pawnee near Meridian

Fire heavily damaged a Dollar General store near Pawnee and Meridian early Tuesday afternoon.

The fire was reported at 1:03 p.m. at the store at 2427 W. Pawnee, just east of Meridian, a Sedgwick County emergency dispatcher said.

Firefighters encountered thick black smoke and heavy flames on the east side of the business, Fire Chief Ron Blackwell said. Flames soon spread to the front of the building as well.

All customers and employees inside the store at the time of the fire were able to escape safely. A second alarm was called out to help battle the fire on a hot, muggy day, meaning more than 70 firefighters and several fire trucks responded.

It took firefighters nearly an hour to bring the fire under control.

A preliminary investigation indicated the fire started outside the store near large propane tanks on the east side of the building, Blackwell said. Although witnesses reported hearing popping sounds from the tanks, Blackwell said the tanks did not rupture in the fire.

“Firefighters did a really good job of isolating” the propane tanks and “ensuring that there was not an explosion,” Blackwell said.

Flames heavily damaged the east side of the structure and ate away at the sign until it read “ollar General.” Smoke damage will likely be substantial throughout the building, Blackwell said.

Southwest winds carried the black smoke and the odor of burning wood over downtown Wichita, giving the day a hazy glint.

Shandy Tate and her husband were driving west on Pawnee when they encountered thick black smoke at McLean Boulevard. As they continued west, the smoke became so thick they had to slow to a crawl.

“You saw nothing but black smoke” pouring from the east side of the building and part of the front, she said.

People who worked on the north side of Pawnee heard numerous pops in the moments before fire trucks arrived, Tate said.

Fire investigators have not released a damage estimate.

“It’s going to be significant,” Blackwell said.

This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Fire damages Dollar General on Pawnee near Meridian."