Crime & Safety
Lake Elsinore Walmart Briefly Evacuated
The evacuation lasted for about an hour and a half.
A brief evacuation at the Lake Elsinore Walmart store Thursday morning was caused by an electrical problem, officials are reporting.
According to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Melody Hendrickson, the morning disruption was caused by an overheated transformer.
There were no injuries reported.
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Interim store manager Joe Cisneros said employees smelled something unusual and called in authorities.
"There was no smoke, no flames. It was just a precautionary measure," he said.
Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Cisneros reported that the evacuation began at approximately 8:50 a.m., but employees and shoppers were allowed back into the store around 10:30 a.m.
"We're open. Everything is good."
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