AUBURN – A fire that forced the evacuation at Flagship Cinema on Thursday afternoon was caused by a malfunction in a popcorn machine, investigators said later in the day.
Nobody was hurt in the 2:30 p.m. blaze at the theater, but the brief blaze forced everyone out of the building, and some shows were canceled during the afternoon.
Auburn fire Platoon Chief Richard McFadden said his crews made quick work of the fire after arriving at the theater in the Auburn plaza on Center Street.
“We put it out with a couple extinguishers,” McFadden said. “It was confined to that one area.”
It was unclear whether it was grease from the popcorn machine that caused the fire or an overheated motor.
The machines that pump out popcorn for movie goers cost $5,000, McFadden said.
Firefighters helped theater officials blow smoke from the building after the fire was knocked down.
The cinema was open again by Thursday night.
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