Thursday, Dec 05, 2013
Abu Dhabi: Many outlets in Al Wahda Mall, which closed late on Tuesday after a fire, started reopening from Thursday afternoon.
As part of the phased reopening of the mall, Al Wahda mall extension and LuLu Hypermarket were expected to reopen by Thursday evening, a spokesperson of the mall management told Gulf News on Thursday
Gold’s Gym in the mall was opened Thursday later afternoon, according to the text messages the gym sent to its customers.
“Other outlets in the mall are expected to reopen by Friday morning,” the mall spokesman said.
“We were waiting for the approval from Civil Defence Department for the reopening after their inspections,” he added.
The mall, located on Hazza Bin Zayed Street, popularly known as Defence Road, between Sultan Bin Zayed The First Street and Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, is one of the prominent shopping destinations in the capital.
As reported on Wednesday, there were no casualties, injuries or major damage to the properties in the fire that broke out late on Tuesday.
However the incident attracted the attention of the residents due to the closure of the mall and the presence of fire-fighters and their trucks outside the mall until late morning on Wednesday.
The police and civil defence cordoned off the area and there were traffic bottlenecks on Wednesday morning on Hazza Bin Zayed Street and Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street due to the presence of civil defence trucks.
The fire erupted from a warehouse for textiles and plastic items was immediately doused by the civil defence. The investigations to determine the cause of fire are progressing, a statement issued Wednesday by the General Directorate of Civil Defence in Abu Dhabi, said.
Even after dousing the fire, fire-fighters conducted an extensive cooling process to prevent any furthers eruptions, according to Captain Abdullah Al Tamimi, head of public relations and customer service at the directorate.
Mall employees told Gulf News that the floor from where the fire erupted were totally flooded with water used by the fire-fighters. “Nobody could walk on the wet floor.”
The official urged owners of warehouses and shops, especially those who deal in textiles and plastic items, to strictly follow fire safety regulations. He reminded them to install smoke detectors and fire extinguishers at their premises and ensure that they are always operational.
Doors and windows must be free from any obstacles. The buildings must have proper ventilation, especially those storing flammable materials and chemicals that may catch fire in high temperature, the official warned.
By Binsal Abdul Kader Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
