Staunton, VA – Firefighters evacuated the Wal-Mart on Richmond Road Saturday afternoon for more than two hours after a getting a call about a suspicious odor, according to the Staunton Fire Department.
The call was received at 1:18 p.m.
Employees milled about the parking lot during the evacuation and directed customers away from the store. Shortly before 4 p.m., employees and shoppers were allowed back into the store.
Capt. Brian Butler of the Staunton Fire Department said a moderate level of carbon monoxide was detected inside the store. He said firefighters suspect the odor might have come from generators on the roof, where work was being done. Butler said it is suspected that the generators were too close to the store’s intake systems, which could have sucked in the exhaust and spread carbon monoxide throughout most of the building.
We’re not 100 percent sure that was the cause, he said.
The generators were shut down and moved. The building was ventilated and carbon monoxide levels soon dropped, Butler said.
Firefighters were expected to return to the store Saturday evening to again check the carbon monoxide levels, according to Butler.
No injuries were reported.
Firefighters from Augusta County Fire-Rescue also responded to the scene.