Black Friday shoppers were forced to wait a little bit longer than planned outside a Florida Walmart Friday morning after a tractor-trailer exploded and caught on fire in the parking lot, according to reports.
A sheriff’s deputy at the Brooksville Walmart heard an explosion just after 5 a.m., when the store was set to open for Black Friday shoppers, according to the New York Post. The deputy was at the location to help with crowd control in case of a rush of deal-hunting shoppers, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. (RELATED: ‘F*ck Ur Thxgiving’: Portland Rioters Damage Multiple Buildings In Holiday Unrest)
Trailer explodes outside Florida Walmart after Black Friday opening https://t.co/V4bfvrAzMT pic.twitter.com/tTAyDTxxp3
— New York Post (@nypost) November 27, 2020
The deputy discovered a tractor-trailer on fire with flames quickly beginning to spread to two other trucks on both sides, per the Post. A driver in one of the trucks was pulled to safety and the fire was eventually extinguished after more deputies arrived to evacuate the store, according to police. (RELATED: Entrepreneurs Take Over Supermarket, Pay For Approximately $40,000 In Groceries)
Shoppers were finally allowed back inside the store at 8 a.m., a three-hour delay from the store’s original opening time, says the Post. It is currently unclear what the source of the fire was, but the sheriff’s office is currently investigating. No injuries were reported.