Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel responded to the Giant Foods store in Potomac Promenade shopping center July 9 when employees smelled smoke in the deli area.
A fire engine and rescue vehicle from Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department and an engine from Rockville Fire and Rescue responded to the call at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The smoke was traced back to electrical wires in the ceiling and apparently did not spark an actual fire.
Rescuers cut the circuits to the wires, made sure there was no further risk, and recharged the sprinklers.
The store remained open during the incident and for the rest of the day, though patrons did notice a "smoky smell" according to Eugene Roesser, volunteer spokesman for Cabin John Park, who responded to the call.
"It really wasn't much of a fire," said Calvin Parker, a Giant manager, who added that the incident has not affected the deli's operations and was so minor that it did not require a Health Department inspection.
But Roesser stressed that a near-fire in a building like Giant's is a serious event.
"If it ever did go, I told the Giant Food manager, just worry about getting the people out of the store," he said. "It's not a very well constructed shopping center. If it ever did go, it could really go."