Shoppers were evacuated late last night from Walmart on Queensgate, and the store was closed for several hours. Richland firefighters were alerted to a small fire in the store. When they got there, they were told two more fires had started.

The first fire had been started in the gardening department. The second was in hardware, and the third fire was near the center of Walmart.

As the fire that raged inside Richland's Fred Meyer forced the store to discard and donate a large portion of its merchandise due to smoke damage, Walmart was concerned for a similar outcome.

All three fires were small and put out fairly quickly. Richland Fire Battalion Chief Duncan says there are witnesses, store surveillance, and evidence that will be looked at soon.

We'll keep you posted!

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