Destiny USA shut down early on Tuesday after a fire was reported on the roof of the massive shopping center.
Around 6:30 p.m. firefighters were called to the mall after reports of smoke coming from the roof above Cheesecake Factory were received.
CNYCentral reported that the alarm didn’t activate because the fire wasn’t inside the building.
“One problem we did have was that the fire alarm was activated and a lot of people didn’t evacuate, which is obviously very important to us,” Deputy Fire Chief John Kane said. “We want to make sure everyone is safe so we had to of course tell people to get out of the building.”
Some shoppers evacuated. But many did not.
Another problem? Apparently two of the fire hydrants on-scene were not working. At least when first responders arrived. “Two of the fire hydrants were initially not working so we had to find alternative water sources so the first few minutes that was a problem for us,” Kane added.
Destiny USA issued the following statement after the fire:
“The safety of our tenants and guests is one of our highest priorities. Out of an abundance of caution and at the direction of the Syracuse Fire Department, Destiny USA was evacuated this evening to investigate reports of smoke coming from near one of our tenant spaces. The building continues to be closed for the time being until the incident is investigated and deemed safe to re-open by the Syracuse Fire Department. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank our tenants and guests for their cooperation.”
The mall is expected to be open on Wednesday.
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