Fire crews raced to a Sacramento grocery store just after 4 a.m. Friday after flames broke out inside the building, leaving behind burnt spices along one aisle, broken glass from a forced entry, and sprinkler water pooling across the floor. A man is now in custody, accused of setting the fire inside the store and then trying to ignite a second blaze in a nearby parking lot tree.
The fire struck La Superior Mercados, located along Stockton Boulevard and 22nd Avenue, according to the Sacramento Fire Department, as reported by KCRA. Sacramento Fire Department arson investigators reviewed surveillance footage that they say showed a person setting a fire inside the store. The same footage, per the fire department, allegedly showed that person attempting to set fire to an empty Pepsi box — the kind that holds a dozen soda cans — lodged in a tree in the store's parking lot.
Investigators said the store showed signs of forced entry, with broken glass visible inside, and burnt spices along one aisle marking where the fire had burned. Store sprinklers activated during the blaze, leaving water across the floor. The total damage to the store had not been determined as of the report, and the identity of the person taken into custody had not been disclosed.
A Neighborhood Grocery With a Hollywood Moment
La Superior Mercados has been a fixture in Sacramento for more than two decades. The family-owned Hispanic supermarket chain, founded in 2001, operates several locations across the city offering Latin American groceries and prepared foods, according to La Superior Mercados. The Stockton Boulevard store even landed a moment of cinematic fame when it was selected as a filming location for director Paul Thomas Anderson's feature film “One Battle After Another,” as noted by CapRadio.
Potential Felony Exposure
Under California Penal Code § 451(c), setting fire to a non-inhabited commercial structure is felony arson punishable by up to six years in state prison, according to Justia. Attempting to set fire to property, such as the Pepsi box wedged in the parking lot tree, falls under California Penal Code § 455, a felony carrying 16 months, two years, or three years in state prison. If the forced entry at the store is prosecuted as a felony, it could also constitute second-degree commercial burglary under California Penal Code § 459, which carries up to three years in prison, per Shouse Law Group.
Another Flashpoint on a Corridor Under Scrutiny
The fire adds to a string of unsettling incidents along Stockton Boulevard, a major South Sacramento commercial corridor already the focus of city attention. Last April, a stolen vehicle was deliberately rammed into a jewelry store in the 7400 block of the same boulevard during a violent smash-and-grab attempt, according to Hoodline's prior reporting. The city is also in the midst of a multi-million-dollar Safety and Transit Enhancement Project to redesign the stretch between Florin Road and Alhambra Boulevard with widened sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and transit upgrades. In January 2025, the city opened a $17.6 million, 155-unit Safe Stay Community at 6810 Stockton Boulevard to provide shelter and services for unhoused residents along the corridor.
This is not the first time Sacramento fire investigators have probed a suspected deliberate fire-setting inside a local business or institution. In August 2024, a suspect was arrested for allegedly attempting to ignite multiple fires inside St. Rose Catholic Church on Franklin Boulevard, a case Hoodline covered in its piece on the church arson charges. Statewide, CAL FIRE statistics released this week show California peace officers made 84 arson arrests through July 2026, following 151 arson arrests in 2025 and 152 in 2024.
For now, key details remain unresolved. Investigators have not disclosed the identity of the person taken into custody, the total dollar amount of damage from the fire and sprinkler water has not been determined, and it remains unclear whether the store will be able to stay open during any cleanup.
