Customers at the Walmart on U.S. 278 in Hardeeville were evacuated just before noon on Sunday after store managers noticed smoke in the deli area, according to the Hardeeville Fire Department.

The smoke was not from a fire but from a microwave that short-circuited on a metal counter, Hardeeville Fire Chief Dan Morgan said.

Firefighters arrived and shut down power to the store before tracking the source of the smoke to the microwave. There was no fire damage to the store, and patrons were allowed back in to shop within 30 to 45 minutes, Morgan said.