A fire broke out inside Smart & Final Extra! on Johnson Avenue Monday afternoon.
Employees and customers were evacuated as San Luis Obispo Fire went into the building. No one appeared to be injured at the scene.
Smoke could be seen from the roof of the store.
Smart & Final employee Kaylee Benting was about to take her lunch break before she smelled smoke in the aisles.
“I was in the front of the store, and then it started feeling warmer, kind of like a barbecue,” Benting said. “I thought, maybe it was something outside. The managers were calling each other and you could tell something was wrong. Finally, they announced for all customers to exit the store.”
The San Luis Obispo emergency response team was there to handle the situation before anyone was in danger.
“They got the fire out, so now we are just waiting to see what the cause was. This is not something that usually happens at a grocery store,” Benting said.
The store will be closed for the remainder of the evening, according to Smart & Final employees.
“I come here to grab a snack three or four times a week,” regular customer Matthew Herrera said. “It’s kind of shocking to see this. I hope that nobody is hurt. This is not something you see every day — certainly not in San Luis Obispo.”
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.