Hundreds of shoppers were evacuated from 313@Somerset late last night as a blaze on the fourth floor filled up the Orchard Road mall with plumes of smoke.
It was around 10.10pm that an announcement was made in the mall, requesting shoppers to evacuate immediately, according to one shop employee who spoke to TODAY. She claimed that the fire had spread to half of the building’s fourth level.
Instagram user Arifin Iskandar Tan uploaded footage of the evacuation from the smoky mall. He remained pretty mirthful, however, during the emergency situation.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the fire around 10.25pm, and it despatched two fire engines, two red rhinos, two fire bikes, one ambulance and five other support vehicles. The fire — involving contents of a store room inside a shop — was extinguished within an hour by water sprinklers and a water jet. A woman was conveyed conscious to Singapore General Hospital after she tripped and fell, presumably while evacuating.
Shop employees were only allowed back into the building around 12.45am. The mall opened to public again at 1.30pm yesterday following the completion of the testing, clean up and rectification works due to a fire incident.
“We are working closely with the authorities to investigate the cause of the incident,” said 313@Somerset General Manager Cheryl Goh. “We are thankful of the support and patience of our retailers and shoppers and would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
EDIT: Article updated to reflect statement by 313@Somerset management
