Firefighters were called to the Party City outlet just outside Mechanicsburg around 8:20 a.m., and the smoke and flames were so severe that they were unable to attack the blaze, said Roger A. Kohr, a spokesman for the Cumberland County Office of Emergency Preparedness.
The store was fully stocked for the graduation, wedding and Memorial Day party season, and the plastic and paper party goods inside fueled the fire, Kohr said.
It took eight hours until the last fire companies could leave the scene.
The store's general manager was alone inside when the fire broke out, but he was able to escape unharmed and no one else was hurt, Kohr said. Twenty people worked at the store.
A damage estimate and possible cause were unavailable Tuesday evening.
