(Michigan City, IN) - Firefighters battled a blaze at a vacant Michigan City retail store.

On Friday security personnel at Marquette Mall reported visible and smoke and fire inside the former JCPenny store. According to the Michigan City Fire Department, the fire was located in a storage room and was quickly knocked down by five responding units.

Firefighters used extra precaution since the sprinkler system was not in use and conducted a thorough search of the store under smoky and low-visibility conditions.

With no electrical service active in the store, authorities currently consider the fire to be suspicious in nature. However, the official cause and origin remain under investigation.

As a precaution, operating businesses within the mall were temporarily evacuated due to smoke spreading throughout the complex. No injuries were reported.