A fire broke out at the College Park Home Depot early yesterday evening, closing the store for the rest of the night and causing about $25,000 in damage. No one was injured.

County firefighters responded to a call from the College Park Home Depot on Cherry Hill Road about 6:45 last night, following reports of a fire in the garden center located on the back side of the building.

Officials at the scene called the blaze “significant,” with about 45 firefighters and 11 stations responding.

Prince George’s County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady said the fire started in the middle level of a three-tier storage rack that held mostly Rubbermaid garden sheds. The fire extended upward into the upper level of the shelves, which are about 25 to 30 feet high and capped with a plastic top, Brady said.

Brady said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, and no options have been ruled out.

Employees said they heard an explosion, but Brady said explosion-like noises are not uncommon in fires.

Home Depot Manager Leon Ram told employees they would have to remove all ceiling tiles in the aisle of the fire and surrounding aisles to inspect them for damage. The heat from the fire melted all the shrink wrap on the surrounding products, he said.

Most employees said they were not allowed to comment, but one employee said everyone in the store evacuated when the alarm sounded, even though the fire was localized to the garden section.

Brady said 25 to 30 customers were in the store at the start of the fire and were evacuated safely. No one was hurt in the fire, he said.

Brady attributed the building’s sprinkler system to controlling the fire.

“You’ve got to give credit to the sprinkler system,” Brady said. “It certainly did its job containing the fire until firefighters arrived.”

Home Depot usually opens at 6 a.m. on Mondays, but employees said they were unsure about when they will open their doors today. Managers asked for volunteers from the College Park store and other surrounding Home Depots to help clean up the damage overnight so business can continue as usual.

Contact reporter Sam Hedenberg at hedenbergdbk@gmail.com.