Forklift Sets Off Blaze; Warehouse Is Destroyed

RICHMOND, Calif. — A giant grocery warehouse that caught fire after a forklift struck a high-pressure light was declared a total loss Tuesday, with damages estimated at several million dollars.

The Safeway Stores blaze smoldered throughout the day, and thick smoke drifting in the area forced state transportation officials to close Interstate 580 except for the afternoon commute. It was unknown whether the highway would again have to be shut down overnight, said Caltrans spokesman Bob Halligan.

Safeway officials said the fire began just after 10 p.m. Monday when an employee in a forklift inadvertently ran into an overhanging arc light, sending sparks or a live wire onto boxes of toilet paper in the middle of the warehouse. Flames quickly reached the 30-foot-high ceiling and shelves of packaged foodstuffs and spread throughout the roof.