The investigation continues into the cause of the fire at the Sears store Friday night.

The store, located at 2908 Citizens Parkway, suffered a major loss to its inventory as well as minor smoke and water damage throughout the store, according to Battalion Chief Mike Stokes of the Selma Fire Department.

The initial call was received at 9:29 p.m. Friday and units remained on the scene until 1:47 a.m. Saturday. Engines One, Two and Five and Ladder Truck Three, as well as Rescue Unit 107, were engaged in fighting the fire.

A Haynes Ambulance unit also responded, although there were no reported injuries. Units from the Selma Police Department were on the scene and blocked off two lanes of Citizens Parkway to keep traffic from hampering operations at the site.

Stokes said the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, although it has been determined that the fire started in the rear of the building. The fire was contained to that area by firefighters.

Stokes also said that he state fire marshall has been called in. &uot;That’s standard procedure whenever a business is involved in a fire,&uot; he said. &uot;It doesn’t necessarily mean that arson is involved.&uot;

The combination of having to wear heavy protective gear for hours at a stretch on a warm, humid night proved to be exhausting for firefighters, who were on the scene for more than four hours.