Evacuation as fire breaks out in Myer
Andrea Petrie
September 10, 2008
THOUSANDS of people were evacuated from Myer's Melbourne store yesterday when construction workers sparked a fire in an area of the Bourke Street building being renovated.
More than 50 firefighters rushed to the scene about 3.30pm after workers in neighbouring buildings reported smoke from Myer's top floors.
Metropolitan Fire Brigade commander Wayne Garrard said about $20,000 damage was done. Construction workers had been cutting through metal pipes on the fifth floor in a services duct where the building's utilities pipes were located, he said.
"Over the years they've become clogged up with a lot of rubbish and the construction workers have been in there using cutting equipment and, of course, once the fire started up it was like a big chimney," he said.
"It's started on the fifth floor and it's gone right up to the roof which is on the ninth floor."
Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes said only the store's basement, where youth products were sold, and its ground floor cosmetics section were open to customers due to the refurbishment, which began in June.
About 2000 customers, 500 staff and construction workers were evacuated as soon as the alarm was raised.
Mr Brookes said while Myer's Lonsdale Street store stayed open during the emergency and would open as normal today, the Bourke Street store would remain closed until the fire brigade, WorkSafe and building inspectors declared it safe.
While the fire might have caused a setback to the renovations, he said he was confident the store's reopening would go ahead as planned in November next year.
The fire disrupted peak-hour traffic. Little Bourke Street between Swanston and Elizabeth streets was closed for several hours, as were parts of Swanston and Bourke streets, affecting 12 tram routes.
Probuild Constructions, the company doing the renovations, declined to comment yesterday.
Source: The Age
