Parkway Parade to remain closed after Sunday fire

SINGAPORE — Shoppers and retailers found themselves locked out of Parkway Parade on Monday (May 16), after the mall’s management shut the shopping centre for an entire day because of a small fire on Sunday night, with tenants not being informed of the closure.

In an update on Monday night, Parkway Parade said the mall would be closed until further notice for checks and rectification works, while the office tower and banks on level one would remain open. 

It could not respond by press time to provide more details on the extent of the damage, and its decision to close the mall.

There were no injuries and no one was evacuated as a result of the fire in a unit on level two, but it was understood that it activated the water sprinklers and the shopping centre had to be cleaned up. The Singapore Civil Defence Force said officers forced their way into the unit and put out the fire with one water jet.

In this photo showing the interior of a store in Parkway Parade after the fire, shop merchandise had fallen off the shelves and the floor was covered in soot. There were no injuries and no one was evacuated.

Retail workers who spoke to TODAY said they were not given any prior notice about the closure, and found out about it when they arrived for work in the morning. They were seen outside the shopping centre waiting for further instructions from their employers. 

A medical worker said she had to check on live vaccines stored in a clinic on level five. 

If the electricity supply to the clinic was disrupted, the vaccines in the fridge would spoil, she said. She was not allowed to enter the shopping centre and had to return home.

Inside the premises, workers were seen carrying hoses and cleaning equipment. 

At around 3pm, staff members of units on the affected levels were allowed in to view the damage, if any, to their shops.

A retail worker who declined to be named said his unit, located on levels one and two, had been damaged by soot and water from the sprinklers. 

Photos shared with TODAY show that some parts of the shop on level two were flooded, and on level one, merchandise had fallen off the shelves and the floor was covered in soot.

A spokesperson from Dairy Farm, which manages Giant hypermarket and Cold Storage supermarket, said the stores suffered minimal physical damage, limited to just water from the sprinklers. 

“We have notified the insurers, who will take the necessary action,” she said.

A constant stream of shoppers was seen approaching the mall’s various entrances on Monday, only to be turned away by security guards. There were signs put up about the closure near at least five of the entrances.

A resident in the area, who gave his name only as Mr Chan, thought that it was a temporary fire drill. “They should put up larger signs so people know,” he said. 

Ms Cicilia Fleitas del Sol, 42, who was on her way to a bank there, said: “It’s very shocking, since everybody’s business (would have to stop).” 

The six-storey Parkway Parade, opened in 1984, is a popular suburban shopping centre in the eastern part of Singapore for those living near Marine Parade and Katong. It has 270 retailers, including Best Denki and Isetan, and is managed by Lend Lease.