Fire erupts inside store after vandals throw fireworks behind checkout counter, police say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) - Officials in Tennessee are investigating after they said suspects set off fireworks inside a convenience store Saturday afternoon.

The Memphis Police Department said the act was caught on surveillance video. They are now trying to identify the suspects.

Police said a clerk was checking a customer out at Chelsea Food & Fuel when he felt something bounce off his shirt.

The object the clerk felt ended up being one of several lit fireworks thrown over the counter. The fireworks went off behind the check out, creating a fire and heavy smoke.

The employee immediately called for help just after 1 p.m.

Police said no one was injured in the incident, but officers are investigating the act as criminal vandalism.

Surveillance video only caught one person committing the act, but police said an accomplice served as a lookout outside the store.

After the fireworks were set off, officers said both suspects ran from the business, got into an unknown vehicle and sped off.

The extent of the damage caused has not yet been revealed.