CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A small fire inside Greenbrier Mall prompted a full evacuation Tuesday afternoon, after multiple 911 callers reported flames inside a second-floor retail store.

Chesapeake Fire Department units were dispatched at 12:56 p.m. for an initial commercial fire alarm. The call was quickly upgraded to a commercial structure fire when dispatchers received additional reports of an active blaze inside the mall.

Firefighters from Engine 14 arrived to find a small fire burning inside Rootz, a retail store on the mall’s upper level. According to officials, the store’s automatic sprinkler system activated and successfully controlled the fire before firefighters reached the scene.

The mall was immediately evacuated, and power was shut off to the impacted areas as crews worked to ensur

See Full Page