Christiana Dollar General store shut down indefinitely after fire

The Dollar General located at 5854 Shelbyville Highway will be closed indefinitely following a Thursday night fire.

Crews from Rutherford County Fire & Rescue, Christiana and Kittrell Volunteer Fire Departments, and Murfreesboro Fire Rescue responded to the blaze just before 10 p.m. Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office was also on scene.

The first crews on the scene witnessed heavy smoke and fire exiting the building. Fire Investigator Joshua Sanders said firefighters entered the front door and worked together to quickly extinguish the fire.

Two employees were inside the store when the fire, believed to be caused by a faulty light fixture in the center of the store, broke out. No shoppers were in the store, investigators said.

It will be some time before the store can reopen as roof repairs are required and the interior of the store is damaged, as well. 

Sanders estimates the damages to the building and its contents at around $500,000, noting that the business did not have a fire sprinkler system, which was not required at the time of construction. 

“The outcome would have been much different with a fire protection system,” said Sanders.