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alexk
Guest
Two schools were evacuated, a bank was forced to close and more than 100 mall workers scampered for safety when a fire broke out at Edan Centre in the heart of the city of San Fernando yesterday.
The fire started around 10 am at the Silver Rails Diner in the mall’s food court.
More than 20 firefighters from the Mon Repos Fire Station responded. Fire officers had to run a hose from High Street to San Fernando wharf, about 850 metres, to get sea water to help them douse the blaze.
The fire reingnited several times and firefighters had to return to douse the flames.
Employee Ayana Byron said she was preparing meals when she saw fire in the gas line. Byron and another employee started shouting as the line exploded.
The owner of Traditional Indian Food diner, who requested anonymity, said she heard the explosion and quickly grabbed her purse.
“I told my worker to take her bag and run,” she said.
As smoke moved through the building, more than 100 people quickly evacuated.
Afiya Forde, the owner of Urban Tredz said, “We did not know what was happening. We saw a lot of smoke. It smelt like an electrical fire.”
Manager of the mall Ashnool Mohammed said he was upstairs when the fire started.
“We have about 20 tenants in the mall and everyone lost no time in evacuating the building. The fire officers arrived within a few minutes and right now they have everything under control,” Mohammed said.
Because the flames stemmed from the gas line, the fire quickly spread to the air condition ducts in the roof. As thick black smoke billowed from the building, scores of people began uploading videos of the fire on social media.
The TTFS Aerial Platform team arrived a short while later and used a hydraulic truck to battle the flames from on top. Two front-line firemen used self-contained breathing apparatus to enter the fire zone. Within half an hour, fire officers brought the blaze under control.
During this time staff and customers from the nearby Republic Bank on Harris Promenade were evacuated.
The Westley Anglican preschool pupils were also evacuated and stayed at their muster point on the promenade.
More than 500 pupils from San Fernando Boys’ RC were also evacuated. First and second year pupils were kept in the Bishop’s men’s auditorium of Our Lady of Perpetual Help RC Church while the older children were supervised on the promenade.
Parents who heard of the fire came and picked up their children. Among them was Shakieel Johnson who said he heard of the fire and decided not to take any chances.
Police blocked off High Street for more than two hours and motorists had to use alternative routes. This was not the first time Edan Centre has caught fire.
In April 2015, a fire broke out on the fifth floor. A tenant, who requested anonymity, said they pay between $4,500 and $5,700 per month to rent a spot at the mall.
The tenant called on the mall owners to upgrade the building to prevent any further fires.