SINGAPORE - A fire broke out at Lucky Plaza on Friday (Dec 18) afternoon, filling the building with thick smoke and sending customers running from the Orchard Road shopping mall.

An eye-witness said the fire started in the kitchen of Warung Surabaya, an Indonesian restaurant on the second floor at around 12.30pm.

Mr Tan Boon Chai, 49, who owns a jewellery store opposite the restaurant, said: "It was lunch time and you could see flames erupting from the kitchen. All the customers ran out, and the rest of the mall was evacuated."

The management tried to put out the fire with extinguishers. Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived around 1pm. The fire was put out with three water jets.

SCDF said it was alerted to the fire at about 1.10pm. Two fire engines, two red rhinos, five support vehicles and an ambulance were despatched to the scene.

No one was injured, said SCDF, adding that the fire started in the kitchen of a restaurant on the second floor.

Mr Lawrence Koh, 50, who has been working as a hairstylist at Lucky Plaza for 32 years, said it was the worst fire-related incident at the shopping mall.

"The smoke was very bad, we couldn't take it - we couldn't breathe and it was so thick you can't even see your own hand," he said. "I managed to switch off most of the equipment before I left but I'm worried the flooding will make the electricity trip."

There were five customers and three employees at the hair salon at that time. He had to cancel about six appointments.

The first and second floors on the left side of Lucky Plaza were slightly flooded, with water leaking from the roof of the first floor.

Passers-by took to social media to share photos of the incident: