‘Small fire’ breaks out in store at Mall of Qatar site
Management of under-construction mall says incident occurred at a store undergoing fit-out
A ‘small fire’ broke out at the under-construction Mall of Qatar over the weekend, but no injuries or damages were reported, the shopping centre management said.
It is the second fire-related incident in six months to hit the project, which is being built by UrbaCon, a Qatar-based contracting company. In April, a much larger blaze swept through the site, forcing the evacuation of 14,000 labourers and staff.
In a statement reported by Doha News, the mall management said that the incident occurred at a store that is undergoing fit-outs.
“At Mall of Qatar we have invested in the latest state-of-the-art fire control systems that worked perfectly.
“Moreover, our safety and security officers are highly trained to act promptly in emergency situations. On top of this, we follow global best practices when it comes to safety and emergency evacuation procedures,” the statement said.
Earlier this month, the Mall of Qatar announced that it had revised the date for its soft launch to December 10, 2016. It said that the new date would ensure ‘a higher percentage of fitted-out shops for a more comprehensive list of offerings’ to customers.
“We are just as eager to open our doors and welcome our very first visitors and give them the experience that we have promised. Our proposition has to ensure that all our visitors get what they are looking for and so much more from their very first interaction with Mall of Qatar.
“As a result, we have taken the decision to move our soft launch date to ensure that a certain number of key offerings and facilities will be available at launch,” said Rony Mourani, general manager, Mall of Qatar, in the earlier statement released on their website.
The mall added that it had received its building completion certificate, which ensure the Mall of Qatar’s readiness. Mourani added that the additional time provided to tenants would give visitors a chance to ‘only receive the best that Mall of Qatar has to offer’.
MEConstructionNews.com received no response from UrbaCon when contacted for a comment on this story.
The Mall of Qatar contains 256,000sqm of GLA across three levels. It includes 7,000 underground and surface car-parking spaces, 500 shops and 100 F&B outlets. The development will also house a 19-screen cinema, including an IMAX screen. A five-star, 210 room luxury and fashion hotel operated by Curio Collection Hilton is also part of the project.
