SMOKEY POINT — Arlington firefighters found smoke but no fire at the Lowe’s Home Improvement store just off Smokey Point Boulevard on Feb. 6.
At approximately 7:30 a.m., units from the Arlington Fire Department were dispatched to a reported electrical fire from the receiving area at the Lowe’s located in the 3300 block of 169th Place NE.
The first unit on scene observed smoke in the structure but no visible flames. The store was nonetheless evacuated as a precaution. Fire crews, attempting to locate the source of the smoke, observed heavy smoke emanating from an underground electrical vault and an aboveground electrical transformer adjacent to Lowe’s receiving area at the back of the store. The electrical transformer subsequently shorted out and exploded. Crews checked for fire after the transformer exploded and found none.
Crews from Marysville Fire District 12 and Snohomish County Fire Protection District 19 in Silvana also responded to the scene and provided assistance in ventilating the store. Damage was limited to the electrical system with no structural involvement. Due to the smoke damage and efforts to ventilate the building by fire crews, the store was closed until the afternoon of Feb. 7 for repairs.