Westfield Liverpool evacuated after fire
An electrical blaze saw more than 100 people evacuated from a major shopping centre in Sydney’s southwest about lunchtime, with two people transported to hospital.
Liverpool
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An electrical blaze saw more than 100 people evacuated from a major shopping centre in Sydney’s southwest about lunchtime, with two people transported to hospital.
About 12.10pm, emergency services were called to Westfield Liverpool and NSW Police, NSW Fire and Rescue and NSW Ambulance paramedics were at the scene.
FRNSW said an electrical blaze broke out inside the Betts shore store on level one of Westfield shopping centre on Campbell St, Liverpool.
About 28 firefighters and seven fire trucks were deployed to the scene.
Before their arrival, sprinklers within the building activated and doused the flames, containing the fire to the shop. Firefighters extinguished the blaze a short time later.
Police assisted in evacuating shoppers from the centre, who could be seen in hordes on the street outside the mall.
NSW Ambulance confirmed two people were treated for smoke inhalation with one sent to Fairfield Hospital and Liverpool Hospital.
An employee of HCF, named Josephine, said the fire was believed to have started at Betts shore store, which opened just two days ago.
She said the alarms went off for about 20 minutes.
“The girls came running out and said to us ‘there’s a fire’,” she said. “You could see and smell the smoke. Westfield told to us to evacuate.”
Another shopper, Johnny Phim, was getting a massage when his session was cut 30 minutes short.
“When you came out of the store you could smell it, it looks really hazy,” he said. “The alarm went off three times, we thought it was a false alarm.”
Mr Phim said he, alongside other shoppers and centre workers were forced to wait outside the complex since 12:30pm, but have since been allowed back in.
Another shopper, Maria, said she was shopping on level one when she started to smell smoke.
“There was alot of smoke and it was quite thick,” she said.
“The centre put barricades up and told everyone they had to come out and evacuate.”
Two barricades have been erected with multiple stores, including JB HI FI, Optus, Hairhouse Warehouse, HCF and Footlocker, on Level One closed off as fire crews determine the cause of the blaze.
A cleaning crew have mopped up the floors around the Betts store.
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