Multiple fires set inside of Walmart Supercenter in Gulfport, official says

Two fires were set inside of the Walmart Supercenter on U.S. 49 on Friday afternoon, the Gulfport fire chief said.

Walmart employees were able to extinguish the fire, and they called the fire department.

Gulfport Fire Chief Mike Beyerstedt said they are approaching this as an “incendiary fire,” which means it was set deliberately. The fires are believed to be premeditated, he said.

Shoppers and employees were all evacuated from the store, and no injuries were reported.

Last week, fires were set at two different Walmarts in Mobile, Alabama, and other fires have been reported across the country. Also on Friday, a fire was reported in an Ocala, Florida, store.

In May, fires were set in Walmart stores in Ohio, Arizona, Illinois and California.

Beyerstedt said he had heard of other incidents nationwide but did not know if the Gulfport fire or any of those fires were connected.

An investigation is ongoing and a motive has yet to be determined.

This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 4:45 PM.