SINGAPORE: A fire broke out at Tampines Mall’s food fair on Thursday afternoon, forcing the mall’s management to evacuate shoppers and tenants, and close it temporarily.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it received a call for help at 4.35pm, but by the time its firefighters arrived at the scene, the fire had been put out by members of the public, using extinguishers and a hose reel.
The SCDF said the fire came from a deep fryer at the atrium fair and that a man was taken by ambulance to Changi General Hospital.
Tampines Mall’s general manager Mustafa Abdul Rahim said a “small fire” broke out at about 4.30pm, activating the fire alarm, and it was quickly put out.
As a safety precaution, it evacuated all shoppers and tenants, he added.
After SCDF officers had accessed the situation, tenants were allowed back in at 5.55pm.
The mall was reopened to the public at about 6.45pm, Mustafa said.
A Japanese-themed event named Spring Kyushu Fair had been running at the mall since April 10, offering various food items.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Social media posts showed smoke billowing from the atrium up to a few floors above, while some shoppers were seen scrambling away from the scene.