Fire Damages Malibu Nails in the Village Square Mall

Fire broke out at Malibu Nails inside the Village Square Mall just before 5:30 Tuesday evening.

Assistant Fire Chief Matt Kulesza told us the fire started from a mini-fridge inside the store. The store had just closed for the evening, and the owner had gone home. People walking in the mall spotted the fire and called 911.

The sprinkler system in the store did activate, but the fire was limited by a water line located in a wall just behind the refrigerator. The line melted from the heat and burst, giving the sprinkler an assist. When firefighters arrived, they broke a window to gain access and used a pump can to put the fire out.

Kulesza said it could have been much worse, had the fire burned through the wall into the store to the south, which is packed full of boxes and other items that would have fueled it.

Angus, owner of Malibu Nails, told us he's been in the mall since 1995 and does intend to repair his space and reopen. For the time being, Malibu Nails will be using a portion of the store across the hall from his, while mall management prepares a temporary space for them in the coming days.

The mall was closed for the rest of the evening Tuesday. RMC Cinemas remained open. Mall manager Steve Linton and other mall employees were cleaning up glass from the window the fire department had to break to gain access to the store, and putting fans in place to air out the mall. He told us the mall will be open as normal Wednesday morning, and that he's thankful the damage was limited.