Target fire closes Vallejo location after arsonist causes $1M in damage

A Bay Area Target has shuttered indefinitely after a suspected arsonist set the store's paper towel aisle ablaze, causing an estimated $1 million in damage.

Multiple people called 911 just before 3 pm Saturday to report that a fire had broken out inside the Target on Admiral Callaghan Lane in Vallejo.

Witnesses spotted an unidentified person igniting rolls of paper towels before the fire spread through the paper products section. 

The incident is being investigated as arson, according to the Vallejo Police Department. Officers are working with the Vallejo Fire Department to identify the suspect and make an arrest.

'They probably even spend their money here,' shopper Deloris Lewis told KRON 4. 'Why come and tear something down that everybody really needs?'

A fire broke out in a Vallejo, California Target after an unidentified person set fire to rolls of paper towels inside the store

The store will be closed indefinitely, though the Target website says it is expected to reopen on March 3

Vallejo Fire spokesperson Kevin Brown said the blaze is projected to have caused around $1 million in damage to the store's roof, interior and inventory.

Around 100 shoppers and employees were evacuated as the fire raged and seven fire trucks, two ambulances and several police officers were called to the scene.

A Target employee deployed a fire extinguisher to help fight the blaze. Sprinklers in the building also went off, dousing other products in addition to the affected area.

According to Fire Battalion Chief Matt Fenzl, the fire broke out in a 20-by-30-foot-area and was extinguished within 10 minutes. 

One employee was treated for smoke inhalation at the store and declined to be taken to the hospital. No other injuries were reported.

The store is set to 'remain closed to the public for an unknown number of days,' Brown said.

Deloris Lewis, a frustrated Target shopper, said: 'They probably even spend their money here. Why come and tear something down that everybody really needs?'

The incident is being investigated as arson, according to the police department. The blaze caused an estimated $1 million in damage to the roof, interior and other merchandise

According to Target's website, the store is anticipated to reopen on Sunday, March 3.

Crews from a water damage restoration company were seen conducting repairs over the weekend.

The Solano County Public Health Department plans to inspect the damage to merchandise to determine if there was smoke contamination.

News of the closure drew impassioned reactions from locals.

'I hope that they can get the store cleaned up and open to the public,' Tina Miller told KRON. 'It serves a large community here, and specifically seniors. It's convenient.'

Vallejo is a city in San Francisco's Bay Area with a population just over 120,000 and a median age of 41.4 years, according to 2022 Census data.