By FAZEENA SALEEM
DOHA: A fire alarm at the Villaggio Mall, which was the scene of a devastating blaze late last May, caused panic yesterday, making people run helter-skelter. The alarm was set off around 5.45pm by smoke from the kitchen of a restaurant in the food court.
No casualties or damage were reported. Normalcy soon returned to the place although there was a partial evacuation at the sprawling shopping complex. More than the evacuation by the mall management or the authorities, people themselves ran out of the mall in panic.
A senior policeman at the scene told The Peninsula that it was smoke, not fire, that set off the alarm. The minor fire was caused by a short circuit in the restaurant, he said.
Captain Hamad Al Kuwari said the restaurant was closed down temporarily and would reopen soon after the short circuit is fixed.
The Ministry of Interior, meanwhile, said on its Twitter account that it was a false alarm as there was no fire or smoke. Sources said the new fire safety system installed at the mall after the tragic May 28 inferno which claimed 19 lives — 13 of them children — was so sensitive that it sets off even at the slightest hint of smoke.
The mall reopened on September 20 after its management installed new fire safety systems complying with safety rules.
Civil Defence sources told Al Sharq that the smoke was caused by burning coal that was being used to barbeque chicken.
But Captain Al Kuwari insisted in remarks to this newspaper that he had completed investigations and experts need not carry out any further inspection. “It was a minor incident, but people panicked and vacated the place.”
A team of police and Civil Defence officials rushed to the mall after being alerted about the fire. They inspected the restaurant and recorded statements from employees for nearly two hours.
However, a supervisor of the restaurant claimed the incident was minor and they will re-open immediately. “Nothing happened; we need to do some cleaning work and will reopen,” he said.
News of a blaze in the Villaggio spread like wild fire with commentators on local social networking sites giving details. “My husband was there at the time the alarm set off. People were running here and there as it was being announced that they should immediately vacate the place,” said a woman commentator.
It was a false alarm, suggested another, while yet another commentator said he could see a large number of women braving the rains after evacuating from the mall. “The place seems jinxed,” said still another commentator, referring to the devastating May 28 fire.
