East Islip Stop & Shop closes early following small electrical fire
Officials say no one was injured and the store expects to reopen Monday after health department approval.
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A small fire at the Stop & Shop in East Islip forced the store to close early Sunday, which turned away customers who arrived to shop throughout the evening.
Fire officials said crews were called to the Stop & Shop just after 4 p.m. Eight fire departments responded to the scene and officials said the fire was brought under control within an hour.
According to Stop & Shop, the incident involved a small fire and some smoke in an upstairs area of the building.
The company said the fire was not near any food products. Store employees said the fire was electrical in nature and that the building had to be evacuated.
No injuries were reported.
PSEG said it did not have to shut off power to the store.
According to the utility, the issue involved Stop & Shop's internal electrical equipment and a private electrician would be responsible for addressing the problem.
Some customers said they were frustrated by the lack of information about the store's status and others said it was a minor inconvenience.
"It would be nice to know. And then, obviously, whether or not I'm going to be able to pick up my groceries tomorrow or if there's something different because there's nothing on the website," said Dori Adams, of Islip.
"I had no idea what's going on. Just trying to get water for my son and that's pretty much it. But he's going to go to the other Stop & Shop down the street," said Victor Mederos, also of Islip.
Stop & Shop said it expects to reopen Monday morning after receiving approval from the health department.
