When will Atwater’s Target store reopen in wake of arson fire?

The Atwater Super Target damaged last week in an arson fire is expected to remain closed for “at least a few more weeks,” the company announced Wednesday.

Police and fire crews were sent to the Target in the 1000 block of Commerce Avenue just after 9 p.m. Aug. 7 after someone set fire to items on the toilet paper aisle, according to police. No injuries were reported, but the store was evacuated because of a large cloud of smoke.

No specific date for when the store would open was available on Wednesday, according to spokesperson Kali Dingman.

“After assessing the damage of the recent fire in the Target store in Atwater, California, the store will remain closed for at least a few more weeks while we remove water and repair the walls and fixtures,” Dingman said in an email. “We donated as much food as we could to the Merced County Food Bank and will replace all damaged products.”

Atwater police announced the arrest the day after the fire of 42-year-old Jaime Rojas of Atwater. Interim Chief Drew Bessinger said residents on social media helped identify Rojas from a surveillance photo within four hours of it being posted.

Rojas pleaded not guilty on Friday in Merced County Superior Court to felony arson, burglary and other charges, according to court records.

Dingman said the Minnesota-based corporation is “working to find team members other shifts at nearby stores if possible.”

During Monday’s Atwater City Council meeting, Mayor Jim Price described the inside of the store following the fire, saying “it was incredible the amount of smoke” inside.

“The water damage is significant. We walked through probably an inch-and-a-half, probably 2 inches of water,” he said.

Price said the store was set to be remodeled before the fire so that effort will coincide with the restoration of damages.

“The folks that are employees of Target should be commended for making sure customers, everyone, other staff members exited the building and nobody was hurt,” he said.

Rojas is held at the John Latoracca Correctional Center in lieu of $175,000 bail, according to jail records.