UPDATE: Queens Corner partially shut after lightning strike
“When I went out, smoke was coming from the roof directly over the Wimpy restaurant.”
Some shops at Queens Corner shopping centre in the Moot were not operational on Thursday following a fire on Wednesday afternoon.
Nine shops, including restaurants and a liquor store, were damaged in the fire.
The centre’s property manager Cecilia McLaren said the fire started at around 16:00 after a lightning bolt struck part of a building.
ALSO READ: NEWSFLASH: ‘Lightning strike’ causes fire at Moot shopping centre
Russell Warner, a patron at one of the restaurants, said he and his daughter heard a loud thunder as the lightning struck.
Shortly after they were told that one of the nearby establishments was on fire.
“Clearly the lightning struck very close by,” he said.
“Firefighters were entering the building through different locations and climbing onto the roof.”
Another customer Cheryl Gibbs said she had to move her car further from the scene as she watched other customers and staff members being evacuated.
Gibbs said she also heard a loud bang, but all seemed well for a while.
“When I went out, smoke was coming from the roof directly over the Wimpy restaurant.”
McLaren said electricity at affected shops such as Wimpy, Nandos, Tops at Spar and Cash Converters was cut off for safety reasons.
She said firefighters managed to put out the fire and no injuries were reported.
“We had to shut down the electricity to ensure that the building is safe and once an assessment is made and the building is declared safe we will begin with construction and repairs,” said McLaren adding that authorities were yet to establish where exactly the fire started.
Unaffected shops were still operating and McLaren said authorities were closely monitoring the buildings to ensure customer safety.
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