A fire at a Route 1 mall in Yarmouth on Monday night was contained before it could spread to a dozen or so adjoining businesses.

Yarmouth Fire Chief Mike Robitaille credited the sprinkler system at the Sherwin Williams paint store, 438 Route 1, for preventing a much larger fire that he said could have caused significant damage to other businesses at Yarmouth Marketplace.

Robitaille said the fire started just after 6 p.m. in a ceiling dormer above Sherwin Williams. It did not reach any of the paint products stored at the business, but the store sustained significant water damage.

“The fire was quickly contained, but in all honesty, it was the sprinkler system that did the job,” Robitaille said. “If the fire had spread, it could have been a significant dollar loss.”

Some of the adjoining addresses in the mall, which include Romeo’s Pizza, Enterprise Rent a Car, an AT&T store, P&P Screen Printing and Royal River Baptist Church, sustained smoke damage.

Mutual aid was provided by Cumberland, Freeport and Falmouth. No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.