Child sets Walmart aisles ablaze with lighter found on a shelf
Water sprinklers were activated
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A Walmart in southeast Louisiana remains closed after an unaccompanied minor allegedly used a lighter to set two aisles alight.
The incident happened at a supermarket on 30 May in Harahan, a suburb of the Louisiana city of New Orleans, and the store has been closed since.
Authorities said the child walked into the store at about 9pm with a woman, who surveillance video showed became separated from the girl while inside the store.
The same video showed the minor going to a bathroom unsupervised and upon her return she headed to the women’s clothing section, police were reported by the Sun Herald as saying.
That was when she allegedly “took a lighter from a display near a register” and set at least one fire ablaze inside the Walmart, some six miles west of downtown New Orleans.
A second aisle was engulfed in the blaze, which police said activated the store’s water sprinklers. That caused further damage to goods and Walmart property.
A video that appeared on Facebook showing the blaze featured Walmart customers and staff fleeing the scene, as a fire alarm rung out.
Authorities said the incident ended with the woman reuniting with the child and both left the store in a Sedan, police were reported as saying. Neither have been heard from since.
No criminal charges are expected because of the age of the girl, who could be between six and nine years old, Fox8 reported.
“As an essential store to our community, our goal is to assess any damage and reopen our Harahan store as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we are working with our Metairie location at 8912 Veterans Memorial Boulevard to temporarily manage our customers’ shopping needs,” Walmart said in a statement to The Independent.
The Independent has the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.