Holiday Shoppers Keep Buying During Fire



Dec 7, 8:21 PM (ET)


MENTOR, Ohio (AP) - An electrical fire that filled a department store with thick smoke didn't deter holiday shoppers, and firefighters had to block the doors to keep customers from coming in, authorities said.

No one was injured in the fire at Dillards South at Great Lakes Mall on Wednesday, but some bargain hunters were inconvenienced.

"It was amazing," said Mentor fire Battalion Chief Joe Busher. "Even though there was heavy smoke in there, they all wanted to stay and shop. We even had to put people at the door to keep people from coming in."

The fire burned circuits of a high-voltage electrical panel near a women's dressing, firefighters said. It took them eight minutes to put it out.

Busher estimated fire damage of about $30,000 and about $100,000 in smoke damage to merchandise.

Manager Mary White said the store would reopen Friday.

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Holiday madness

You know I should offer something for free off but put like lava and acid in their way just see what they do

^^ Maybe there was a good special?

wow, those had to be some good deals

Die hard shoppers ....

Risk life and lung for some bargains .. geez ..

There are a lot of stupid people in the world...if they are so programmed to shop that they are willing to risk their life to do so then there is a serious problem. I have had people with housefires going back in to try and get things(Pictures, computers) which is kind of understandable, but to risk life and limb for 20% off? that is just silly and it puts the firefighters at risk to possibly have to rescue these boneheads when something goes really bad...

I can't blame them. All fishing rods were 50% off!!!!

Going back to a housefire for a picture I can understand I mean, it might hold memories but for a computer? In the time it takes to unplug the stuff you could have died by burning debris. Labtop maybe but a desktop computer :\

Holy $%#@! who the hell is that stupid? if there so retarded as to keep shoping while there is a fire in the store then i say let them burn Darwin awards for them all!

I got a mental image of PeeWee Herman rescuing all the animals from the burning pet store and screaming when he carried out all the snakes....ah PeeWee.

I heard Dillard's was having a really hot sale!!

Make that Red Hot Sale!

I guess we know which state the coked up shopper in Oklahoma came from now that was in the other post of Girty's.

Amazing. Some people will do some of the stupidest things for a bargin.

Haven't these people heard of the internet?? I shop on it all the time. But that's all I do.

It was a "bargain" sale. Imagine if they had playstations in there.

I can understand them. The power of the routine. For the same reason people don't help someone who fainted in the street, or walk by when someone is being beaten or robbed. A lack of flexibility. Yeah, it is a crazy thing. But it is so strong, sometimes stronger than you think