A fire on the roof of Sylvania's Farmer Jack store, 5700 Monroe St., caused the evacuation and closing of the grocery yesterday afternoon.

Fire damage was limited to the roof on the north side of the store, and the interior of the building sustained water damage, Sylvania Township Fire Chief Christopher Maurer said.

An estimate of the loss was not available. There were no injuries in the fire, which was reported about 12:30 p.m.

Store manager Bob Carpenter said a crew installing a rubber membrane on the roof accidentally started the fire with a glue gun. The gun generated a spark that ignited roofing cement, he said.

The store was bringing in crews late yesterday to clean up and restock, and could reopen as early as tomorrow, said John Ponzio, Farmer Jack's vice president for public and government affairs.

Building and health inspectors were going through the building to determine what needed to be replaced or repaired, he said.

Mr. Ponzio said the bakery area was among those damaged by water. But special orders such as cakes would be filled by other Farmer Jack stores.

Chief Maurer said crews arriving at the store found heavy flames on the roof, but extinguished the fire in 30 minutes. Most customers were evacuated through the front of the store on Monroe, the chief said.

The store was a Churchill's Super Market for many years. Recently it was extensively renovated and expanded. The store was sold to Farmer Jack last month and went into business under the name of the Detroit-based chain Feb. 16.

First Published March 24, 2001, 3:21 p.m.