Car goes up in flames at Tampines 1 mall carpark
Mini Cooper at Tampines 1 carpark catches fire
The smell was choking and I knew there was definitely a fire in the carpark downstairs. I advised the two to three customers in my shop to evacuate the building.
- Mr James Yee, manager of an ice-cream shop in Tampines 1 shopping mall
When the first of three fire alarms went off, he thought it was a false alarm as no one was panicking.
It was only when the second fire alarm sounded and he smelled smoke that Mr Andy See realised a fire had broken out.
The 25-year-old sales assistant of a pushcart stall at Basement 1 of Tampines 1 shopping mall said: "There was a burning smell in the air and it was not pleasant at all. So I just took my iPad and left the building."
The incident yesterday afternoon at the mall's Basement 2 carpark involved a parked Mini Cooper that had gone up in flames.
Mr See estimated that he lost about six customers, or $300 in sales, because the fire occurred during lunchtime.
Mr Zheng Shen Zhu, 19, a part-time sales assistant, said he initially thought someone was playing with the fire alarm.
DIZZY
He said: "But when I smelled plastic burning, I was quite worried for my safety.
"After I returned at around 3pm, I could still smell smoke and felt dizzy as it was hard to breathe. But I recovered shortly after."
Mr James Yee, 45, manager of an ice-cream shop at Basement 1, said he saw smoke rising from Basement 2.
"The smell was choking and I knew there was definitely a fire in the carpark downstairs. I advised the two to three customers in my shop to evacuate the building."
The car owner, a woman who looked to be in her late 20s, declined to comment.
A spokesman for AsiaMalls said a parked Mini Cooper had caught fire in Basement 2 at 1.16pm and shoppers and tenants were evacuated by 1.37pm.
The mall resumed operations at 3.05pm.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) sent three fire engines, a Red Rhino, two fire bikes, an ambulance, seven support vehicles and an unmanned fire-fighting machine for ventilation operations to the scene.
Its spokesman said the basement was smoke-logged, resulting in poor visibility.
Firefighters put out the fire using a water jet within 10 minutes.
There were no reported injuries. Investigations are ongoing.
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