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Smoke prompts Ray's Food Place evacuation Store personnel, shoppers and firefighters gather in the front parking lot after evacuating Ray's Food Place in Central Point this morning. [Mail Tribune / Andy Atkinson] Monday Oct 16, 2017 at 11:57 AM Oct 16, 2017 at 5:04 PM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil Smoke from smoldering insulation at the Central Point Ray's Food Place forced an evacuation of the store and drew multiple fire agencies to the scene this morning. Emergency dispatch first received reports of the smoke-filled business, located at 126 E. Pine St., at 8:33 a.m., according to dispatch records. At least six engines responded, with crews from Jackson County Fire District 3, Medford Fire-Rescue and the Jacksonville Fire Department, according to District 3 public information officer Ashley Blakely. Central Point police were also on scene.   Store employees spotted some light smoke in the air just after 8:30 a.m., about 2½ hours after the store's opening. "As soon as they saw the smoke, they evacuated," said Kevin Crumley, director of store development for Ray's. "It was real quick." About 15 employees and a dozen customers were in the store at the time, fire and store officials said. "They were very, very smart to evacuate quickly," Blakely said. "That's one of those things where you don't want to hesitate. Kudos to them." Crews located the source of the smoke, a small fire that started in some insulation in the attic surrounding an HVAC unit, at 8:41 a.m., Blakely said. Not much effort was needed to extinguish it. "It honestly kind of went out on its own," Blakely said. The smoldering insulation started because an air handling unit responsible for circulating air was shut off for maintenance. The store's furnace continued to operate during that shutoff, however, according to District 3 deputy fire marshal Mark Northrop. "Due to the lack of air flow, the sides of the furnace heated up sufficiently to start smoldering," Northrop said. "The air flow wasn't moving." The response from so many engines temporarily closed the stretches of First and Second streets on the east and west sides of the building, though Pine Street was not affected. The store reopened later this morning. — Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil.