Al Wahda Mall evacuated as fire breaks out

ABU DHABI // Workers and shoppers were evacuated from Al Wahda Mall on Thursday following a restaurant fire.

The fire broke out at Beirut restaurant in the mall food court at 12.45pm, an assistant manager said. Civil Defence decided to evacuate the mall because of the smoke, he said.

The mall was reopened at 3.30pm, with only the affected restaurant cordoned off as authorities investigate the cause of the blaze.

Civil Defence said on Thursday evening that it had brought under control a fire at a mall in the capital, though it did not say which mall.

The incident occurred as a result of smoke in a restaurant chimney due to “oil accumulation”, and the mall was evacuated as a precaution, said Capt Abdullah Al Tamimi, head of media and public relations at Abu Dhabi Civil Defence.

The fire was prevented from spreading to neighbouring stores. Capt Al Tamimi said the Civil Defence team’s readiness helped prevent the fire from spreading or resulting in injuries, and called on restaurant owners to carry out regular maintenance of chimneys inside restaurants.

Mahmoud Ghazayel, who was at Al Wahda Mall when people were being escorted from the premises, said he saw smoke in the hallways but not a fire. The Lebanese expatriate said he was in the cinema at the mall when the fire broke out.

He only realised the mall was being evacuated when he came out of the cinema at about 2pm.

“The authorities have closed all the elevators and we are not allowed to be near the food court,” said Mr Ghazayel earlier in the afternoon.

The 28-year-old said the mall was not crowded at the time of the fire.

Binod Bisural, who works on the third floor of the mall where the fire broke out, said though he could not see the fire, there was a lot of smoke.

“However, the security officials acted fast and within minutes we were evacuated from the location,” said the Nepalese expatriate.

ND, an employee at a restaurant in Al Wahda Mall, said the fire broke out at 12.50pm, after which everyone was evacuated from the shopping centre.

“We have been standing here since then,” he said, speaking outside the mall. “There were quite a few people at the mall owing to the fact that it was a Thursday afternoon and the beginning of the weekend for some.”

Mr Samuel, an Indian businessman, run a cosmetic store in the Al Wahda Mall extension. He rushed to the mall after receiving a call from his employee informing him that the mall was being evacuated due to the fire.

“I received the call at 1.20pm and I have been waiting outside the mall to go in,” he said. “My employee told me that the fire was in the food court in the older section of the mall.”

arizvi2@thenational.ae

*Additional reporting by Amna Ehtesham Khaishgi