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SMOKED OUT
Hundreds of shoppers evacuated from Causeway Point due to fire in carpark
By Vivien Chan
May 24, 2009
UNDER CONTROL: Shoppers and staff (above) wait to re-enter the mall, which was cleared out (below) while the fire was being dealt with. --TNP PICTURES: JONATHAN CHOO
THEY had just given their male patient an anaesthetic injection for a tooth extraction when they had to suddenly evacuate the building.
A fire had broken out on the fifth-floor carpark within the Causeway Point building yesterday evening, and hundreds of people, including shoppers and movie-goers, had to evacuate.
Madam Norain Osman, 42, who is in charge of the Raffles Dental Clinic, said that white smoke started entering the dentist's room at close to 5pm.
The smoke was coming from the carpark, which is just next to the clinic, she said. The clinic is on the fifth floor of the shopping mall.
Her colleague, dental service officer Khamisa Ahmad, 41, said: 'We had just given our patient an anaesthetic injection when we smelt the smoke.
'The aircon was soon switched off.'
When everyone was told to evacuate, the patient was given another appointment to extract his tooth.
A spokesman for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they received a call at 5.26pm. Three fire engines, a red rhino, three support vehicles and two fire bikes were despatched.
The spokesman said there was a fire involving layers of silicon in the expansion joint of the fifth storey carpark within Causeway Point.
The New Paper understands that the expansion joint is part of the structural design of the building, to allow movement between the walls.
Student Thomas Khoo, 16, was at the cinema with four friends when they were told to evacuate. Their movie, Night at the Museum 2, was just about to begin.
Thomas said: 'We were catching the 5.30pm show. Before we went into the cinema, we already heard the fire alarm.'
The alarm was intermittent.
He added: 'We went into the cinema, and had just finished watching the commercials when the lights came on and a staff member came in.
'We couldn't hear what he said, but everyone started leaving the cinema, so we followed suit.'
A Cathay cinema staff member said about seven movies were disrupted.
He said that affected movie-goers would have to show their movie stub to either watch the same movie, or another movie at the cinema, at their own time.
Thomas said that when they walked by Raffles Dental Clinic on their way out, they saw white smoke coming out from the clinic and thought the clinic was on fire.
Madam Norain explained: 'The smoke was coming in from the carpark into our clinic, so from inside the mall, it appeared like the smoke was coming from our clinic.'
Ms Felicia Naidu, 23, a promoter at Metro, said that she smelt something burning at about 5pm.
But she dismissed it and continued with her work on the second floor of the mall.
'At 5.45pm, there was an announcement, telling everyone to evacuate,' shesaid.
Extinguished
The SCDF spokesman said that the fire was extinguished by the mall's management using a dry powder extinguisher.
The evacuation was also conducted by the management before SCDF arrived.
At about 7pm, shoppers and shopowners were allowed back into the building, but public access to the top four levels of the seven storey building was only allowed close to 7.30pm.
Shopper Ms Dave Chua, 28, said that she asked a security officer what was happening, and was told that a 'fire drill' was taking place.
There was no further damage to any part of the building and no one was injured.
When The New Paper called Causeway Point twice yesterday evening, we were told both times that the officers were busy.
SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire.
SMOKED OUT
Hundreds of shoppers evacuated from Causeway Point due to fire in carpark
By Vivien Chan
May 24, 2009
UNDER CONTROL: Shoppers and staff (above) wait to re-enter the mall, which was cleared out (below) while the fire was being dealt with. --TNP PICTURES: JONATHAN CHOO
THEY had just given their male patient an anaesthetic injection for a tooth extraction when they had to suddenly evacuate the building.
A fire had broken out on the fifth-floor carpark within the Causeway Point building yesterday evening, and hundreds of people, including shoppers and movie-goers, had to evacuate.
Madam Norain Osman, 42, who is in charge of the Raffles Dental Clinic, said that white smoke started entering the dentist's room at close to 5pm.
The smoke was coming from the carpark, which is just next to the clinic, she said. The clinic is on the fifth floor of the shopping mall.
Her colleague, dental service officer Khamisa Ahmad, 41, said: 'We had just given our patient an anaesthetic injection when we smelt the smoke.
'The aircon was soon switched off.'
When everyone was told to evacuate, the patient was given another appointment to extract his tooth.
A spokesman for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they received a call at 5.26pm. Three fire engines, a red rhino, three support vehicles and two fire bikes were despatched.
The spokesman said there was a fire involving layers of silicon in the expansion joint of the fifth storey carpark within Causeway Point.
The New Paper understands that the expansion joint is part of the structural design of the building, to allow movement between the walls.
Student Thomas Khoo, 16, was at the cinema with four friends when they were told to evacuate. Their movie, Night at the Museum 2, was just about to begin.
Thomas said: 'We were catching the 5.30pm show. Before we went into the cinema, we already heard the fire alarm.'
The alarm was intermittent.
He added: 'We went into the cinema, and had just finished watching the commercials when the lights came on and a staff member came in.
'We couldn't hear what he said, but everyone started leaving the cinema, so we followed suit.'
A Cathay cinema staff member said about seven movies were disrupted.
He said that affected movie-goers would have to show their movie stub to either watch the same movie, or another movie at the cinema, at their own time.
Thomas said that when they walked by Raffles Dental Clinic on their way out, they saw white smoke coming out from the clinic and thought the clinic was on fire.
Madam Norain explained: 'The smoke was coming in from the carpark into our clinic, so from inside the mall, it appeared like the smoke was coming from our clinic.'
Ms Felicia Naidu, 23, a promoter at Metro, said that she smelt something burning at about 5pm.
But she dismissed it and continued with her work on the second floor of the mall.
'At 5.45pm, there was an announcement, telling everyone to evacuate,' shesaid.
Extinguished
The SCDF spokesman said that the fire was extinguished by the mall's management using a dry powder extinguisher.
The evacuation was also conducted by the management before SCDF arrived.
At about 7pm, shoppers and shopowners were allowed back into the building, but public access to the top four levels of the seven storey building was only allowed close to 7.30pm.
Shopper Ms Dave Chua, 28, said that she asked a security officer what was happening, and was told that a 'fire drill' was taking place.
There was no further damage to any part of the building and no one was injured.
When The New Paper called Causeway Point twice yesterday evening, we were told both times that the officers were busy.
SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire.
