Walmart fire in Suisun City ruled arson; community impacted after store closed indefinitely

SUISUN CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- A fire inside the Walmart Supercenter in Suisun City forced evacuations, caused extensive damage and has left the store closed indefinitely, city officials said.

Mayor Alma Hernandez said crews are working to support recovery efforts after the blaze, which investigators have determined was intentionally set.

"We definitely have our personnel and stuff on board to support all of these efforts in helping them reopen as fast as they can," Hernandez said.

The Walmart has served the community for roughly a decade, providing access to affordable groceries and pharmacy services.

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Hernandez said its closure leaves a significant gap, especially for residents relying on prescriptions.

"Walmart was the only pharmacy that we have in Suisun City, so it really is going to impact many of our community members who rely on that service to obtain their medications, their inhalers, or any supports that are needed in order to be explained how to use their medication," she said.

Fire crews responded to the blaze around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday. While firefighters were able to contain the flames, the building sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

The fire comes shortly after the store completed a remodel and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to highlight its upgrades, Hernandez said.

"It really was upgrading a lot of their material, and it was going through a ribbon-cutting ceremony to showcase a lot of their upgrades, so it's definitely an unfortunate event," she said.

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With the Walmart pharmacy closed, city officials are directing residents to other locations in nearby communities.

"We also want to share with the community that those members who received pharmacy services at this Walmart can go into other locations nearby in the city of Fairfield or Vacaville, for example, to attain those services," Hernandez said.

The closure is also affecting local food assistance programs.

The Rio Vista Food Pantry depends on donations from the store to serve more than 200 families each weekend.

"We would have picked up Thursday. I would anticipate 800 to 1100 pounds of food from them and would be turning that around to pack bakery and meat products and sometimes produce we've just spent Thursday trying to assess what that means for us this Sunday and the next several Sunday distributions moving forward," said Lisa Hechtman, president of the Rio Vista Food Pantry board.

Investigators say the fire was an act of arson. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Suisun City Fire Department.