Lodi Walmart evacuated due to roof fire; store to remain closed as investigation continues

A Walmart store in Lodi was evacuated and an employee was hospitalized with smoke inhalation Saturday afternoon after the roof caught on fire, fire officials said.

Multiple agencies — including the Lodi Fire Department, Stockton Fire Department, Woodbridge Fire District, Morada Fire District, Thornton Fire District, and Mokelumne Rural Fire District— responded to the three-alarm fire at 1601 S. Lower Sacramento Rd. just before noon.

When firefighters arrived, they found flames and smoke emanating from the roof of the north side of the building, according to Michael Alegre, battalion chief for the Lodi Fire Department. There was also "light smoke and fire on the inside" of the store, he said.

"Units were assigned to the interior of the building and on the roof, and determined to have a roof fire, which subsequently dropped down to the interior of the store and got some product going on the aisles on the back side of the store," the battalion chief said.

The flames were put out by 1 p.m., but more than 50 employees were still evacuated in the parking lot and the store remained closed. One employee had to be taken to a nearby hospital for smoke inhalation.

Alegre said the store had "significant water damage from the firefighting efforts," and is expected to remain closed for the rest of the day as authorities investigate the cause of the blaze. The exact cause will not be known for a few days, but Alegre said fire officials believe it started in the roof area.

While the investigation continues, Lodi residents and shoppers are being asked to avoid the area if they can.

"There's a lot of emergency resources on scene and the store will be shut down," Alegre said.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman.

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Lodi Walmart evacuated, closed due to roof fire