At approximately 7:30 p.m. a fire was reported in the shopping promenade on Rosedale Highway. The business reporting the fire was Party City. Employees advised that a fire was started by customers in an aisle and employees and customers were evacuating the business. Upon arrival of Kern County Fire, all occupants had been evacuated, and the fire sprinklers in the building were keeping the fire from spreading. Firefighters entered the business and quickly extinguished the fire. Firefighters were then able to shut off the sprinkler system to the building and remove the smoke from the structure. KCFD fire investigators responded to the incident due to the possibility of arson. One patron was evaluated by medical personnel and released at the scene. Bakersfield City Building Department was called to the scene due to the amount of water damage to the structure.