Another woman gasped.
But the dog was already gone.
Inside, flames had begun crawling across the ceiling insulation where sparks from a malfunctioning refrigeration unit had ignited packaging materials stacked too close to a power line. Plastic shelving popped loudly as heat expanded the metal frames holding them in place. Thick smoke rolled low along the floor, turning the interior into a maze of shifting shadows.
Outside, a firefighter who had just arrived with the first engine grabbed a bystander who tried to rush toward the entrance.
“You can’t go in there,” the firefighter barked.