Fire breaks out in storeroom of Samsung Experience Store at Ang Mo Kio Hub

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SINGAPORE - A small fire broke out in the basement of Ang Mo Kio (AMK) Hub shopping mall early Tuesday (March 28) morning.

The fire in the storeroom of the Samsung Experience Store on basement one was put out by the mall's sprinkler system and a water jet by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel.

An SCDF spokesman said the fire involved contents measuring 1m by 2m in the shop's storeroom.

AMK Hub general manager Andy Kau told The Straits Times that the fire occurred at 1.25am, but he was unable to comment on the cause as investigations are ongoing.

"There are no injuries, but in the interest of safety and for the purpose of cleaning up, we have closed off the area surrounding Samsung Experience Store to the public," Mr Kau said.

The beds on display at the basement of Ang Mo Kio (AMK) Hub were affected by the incident. ST PHOTO: TIFFANY FUMIKO TAY
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"We will be working with the few affected tenants to assist them in resuming their business operations as soon as possible."

He added that the rest of the mall is unaffected by the fire and is open for business as usual.

In response to queries, Samsung said that it is assessing the property damage and working closely with authorities to determine the cause of the fire. The store will remain temporarily closed during this period, said a spokesman.

Several shops around the Samsung store were affected by water damage from the sprinklers, which had triggered due to smoke detection. The mall engage cleaning staff to help stores with the clean-up and will also use smoke purifiers to remove any lingering smoke smell.

A Facebook post by fitness club Fitness First on Tuesday morning said its basement one outlet at the mall was temporarily closed due to the fire.

A sign was put up outside Fitness First. Its basement one outlet at the mall was temporarily closed due to the fire. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

According to the branch's general manager Genevieve Monteiro, the closure was due to the smoke smell and uncertainty over whether any electricals have been affected.

There was a bit of water damage at the weights area and the branch experienced a power trip.

A housewife who gave her name only as Ms Lim said that she had come to the gym to work out, only to find out that it was closed. "The water damage looks bad, you can see it at the bed display area," she said.

Fitness First reopened at around noon, although some parts of the gym remained closed due to water damage.

This is the fourth fire to occur in AMK Hub since it opened in 2007.

The last incident in August 2010 led to the evacuation of a thousand shoppers when an escalator caught fire. No one was injured.

The other two fires were minor ones that happened in a toilet and in the electrical room.

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