Yaphank Walmart Reopens After Smoke From Fire-Suppression Pump Malfunction

Smoke in a pump room at the Walmart Supercenter, 901 Boulevard East in Yaphank, led Brookhaven fire officials to order the store closed Wednesday night while technicians repaired the building’s fire-suppression pump, and the store resumed operations Thursday morning. A store representative said the Walmart opened at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday after initial testing confirmed the system was operating.

Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services logged a call about a fire in the store’s pump room at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, and Ridge Fire Department crews responded, according to local reports. While technicians were working on the sprinkler system, an automatic alarm triggered at about 6:25 p.m., prompting on-scene inspections and the temporary closure.

Brookhaven Chief Fire Marshal Chris Mehrman ordered the shutdown after determining the fire-suppression system was not functioning properly and a fire pump technician was called to the store. “Immediate repairs were made, and initial testing was completed,” Mehrman said, adding, “We are satisfied with that at this time and have given Walmart permission to reopen.” Mehrman also cautioned that more work remains, noting that further repairs and testing “will be conducted by the technician over the next few days.” He added, “My office will closely monitor the situation. We are investigating the cause of the malfunction.”

Patch reported that Brookhaven Town spokesman Drew Scott said smoke was seen in a “pump room,” a detail that drew questions from neighbors on Facebook and Instagram asking, “What’s going on at Walmart?” Social posts circulated with headlines declaring the store closed until further notice; Patch said it reached out to Walmart for comment.

The Yaphank Supercenter is a roughly 197,000-square-foot store that opened in 2021 as the anchor tenant at The Boulevard, a 322-acre mixed-use development at the northwest corner of the Long Island Expressway and William Floyd Parkway. Greater Long Island noted the location houses a full-service grocery, pharmacy, auto care center, garden center and grocery pickup area and employs “hundreds of workers,” meaning the brief closure affected both local retail access and employees’ shifts.

Officials did not report any injuries or property-loss figures in initial statements. Town and county fire authorities and the on-site technician will continue testing and repairs over the coming days while the Fire Marshal’s office investigates the root cause, and Brookhaven has signaled it will maintain close oversight until follow-up work is complete.