A FIRE which broke out at the food court in The Mall yesterday forced an immediate shutdown of the building.
The fire not only interrupted the dining persons but also called for the immediate evacuation of moviegoers as the cinema houses are also located at the third floor.
Ahmad Naqiuddin Mohammad, the Sale and Marketing Executive for the Mall Cineplex, told The Brunei Times in a telephone interview that the staff evacuated all the customers including those inside the movie theaters within three minutes.
The Fire and Rescue Department report said the blaze originated from one of the food court stalls located in The Mall's third floor.
The report said that embers from the coals, which the stall was using for cooking, sparked the fire inside the smoke duct. The alarm for the Fire and Rescue Department assistance was made at 12.11pm and two fire engines with 10 firemen were immediately dispatched to contain the blaze.
It took only eight minutes for the firefighters to battle and contain the blaze which damaged only the back kitchen of the food stall.
Despite having the situation under control, the police and the firefighters prohibited anyone from entering the area due to the thick smoke which filled the building. When The Brunei Times entered the building, it was noted that the entire third floor had been sealed off with emergency fireproof blankets that ejected from the building's ceiling to prevent the smoke from reaching the lower levels. The security evacuated the mall employees, massing a large number of people, both workers and curious on-lookers outside the streets.
Ahmad Naqiuddin said their employees were only allowed to report back to work at around 2.30pm, more than two hours after the fire was reported.
He also asked all the moviegoers who were evacuated to hold on to their tickets, for refunds.
An employee of "Excellent Taste" stall who wished to be referred to only as Hajijah said she and her colleagues were having their lunch when she first saw smoke allegedly from one of the other stalls. The Fire and Rescue Department is still investigating the main cause and damage estimates.
No casualty was reported during the fire. - The Brunei Times
The Gadong area came to a standstill yesterday during lunch time when patrons and staff at The Mall, Gadong were evacuated as smoke filled the building's level three food court.
A fire broke out in one of the food court stall's kitchen and the resulting smoke travelled through the ventilation shaft that redirected the smoke back into the building.
According to witnesses, the fire alarms were triggered and the sprinkler systems began to spray water.
The smoke, many said, was "thick" and cooking oil smell pervaded the air.
Fire and Rescue personnel, led by Acting Senior Supt, Hj Janaidi Hj Gunong, were rushed to the building after they received a call at 12.11 in the afternoon.
Twelve officers from the Beribi Fire Station came in two fire engines and extinguished the blaze.
It took the team about 10 minutes to gain control of the situation.
The team also utilised hoses that were available at every floor of the commercial building.
The Royal Brunei Police Force was also at the scene, blocking entry points to the building and ensuring that everyone in the building had been evacuated.
A number of ambulances from RIPAS Hospital were also at the scene.
Though a fire had broken out in one of the most popular hotspots in the country, what was worrying, however, was the fact that some tenants complained that there was no announcement about the fire until the alarms went off.
One of the tenants said that they have heard the sound of fire alarms on several occasions - "maybe to test the system" - but tenants were never informed whether it was a drill or whether a fire had actually broken out.
"There was no announcement," one bank teller said.
Recalling the incident, she said, "We didn't know what was going on when we heard the alarm but we evacuated the building anyway because we saw everyone else leaving."
Although The Mall management does conduct fire drills, another tenant, whose shop is on the second floor of the building, said such procedures do not involve those who are renting space, thus leaving them confused and not knowing the next plan of action.
She only vacated the premises after she called the security staff when she noticed that scores of people were taking the escalator down to the ground floor.
"No one told me what was going on. I had to find out for myself," she said, obviously overwhelmed by the incident and called for the management to "involve everyone" to ensure the safety of those in the building.
Meanwhile, morning moviegoers were also evacuated.
One customer, who was watching an 11 am show, told the Bulletin that Cineplex staff "calmly" told the audience that the fire alarms were ringing and apologised for the inconvenience.
He also recorded the incident on his handheld device, which showed thick smoke emanating from one of the corridors leading to the back entrance of the kitchen area.
The less than five-minute video also featured staff and patrons calmly taking the stairs down to ground floor where more people were seen making their way to the nearest exits.
The cause of the fire and amount of losses are still under investigation.
Visiting The Mall Food Court late last afternoon, the Bulletin was informed that the area will be cordoned off "until further notice".
Some employees working at the Food Court said that they still have food that had not been sold and will suffer losses of at least $800 notwithstanding the property that was damaged during the incident.
Other businesses opened their doors to customers again from 2pm.
The Mall Office could not be reached for comment. - Borneo Bulletin
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