A fire broke out at the Barista outlet on Park Street around 9.15pm on Friday, when several diners and staff were inside. They all managed to exit the ground-floor coffee shop safely, with no injuries reported.
Four fire tenders brought the blaze under control within an hour, but it took several more hours for fire and emergency services to clear the thick black smoke that had engulfed the area. A smoke extractor was used to disperse the fumes.
Fire department officials said the fire started at the rear of the kitchen, dangerously close to a fuel pump.
Diners at adjacent restaurants, including the packed Bar-B-Q and Wow! China, were evacuated midway through their meals. “It was Friday night, a very busy time for us. Police came and told us we had to vacate because of the fire,” said a waiter at Bar-B-Q.
“A major disaster was averted. Had the flames reached the petrol pump, the consequences could have been catastrophic,” said an officer.
Minutes after the fire broke out, dense smoke billowed from the building, shrouding the entire stretch of the footpath that runs along some of the city’s iconic eateries.
Cops and firefighters also checked a nationalised bank located above Barista. Only smoke had entered the premises, they said.
Hawkers who run stalls along the footpath quickly moved their carts away from the fire. Many were seen pulling off polythene covers to prevent the flames from spreading.
The incident brought back grim memories of the Stephen Court fire, which killed 43 people trapped inside the building 15 years ago.