Work resumes at Mall of Qatar

Construction work and retail fit-outs have resumed at Mall of Qatar after an accidental fire broke out there around 2.30pm on Saturday, Mowafaq Kharbat, project director of Urbacon Trading and Contracting, said.Safety engineers were alerted immediately after the fire was detected, which prompted the safe evacuation of 14,000 workers and staff on site and in adjacent buildings, the official informed through a press statement on Monday.The official authorities were informed of the fire, following which the Civil Defence, Traffic Department, Al Fazaa (Rescue Police) and Lekhwiya (Internal Security Force) deployed their teams. The fire was successfully put out and there were no casualties. A view of the rotunda.“We are thankful that no one was harmed and our priority right now is to continue construction work and carry on with retail fit-outs within the mall. We would like to express our gratitude to the authorities for their immediate and professional support to ensure the safety of everyone on the site and to contain the fire,” said Kharbat.“UCC has a comprehensive operations risk plan that gets reviewed regularly and also implements stringent safety precautions on a daily basis. This was expertly put into action during this incident,” he added. Pending an investigation by the authorities concerned and the official outcome of their inquiry, the cause of the fire is still unknown at this stage.Mall of Qatar will become the country’s largest mall when complete, according to its developers. It will feature more than 500 stores, including over 100 food and beverage outlets and fine-dining options. The mall will offer visitors a wide selection of major international brands, a five-star luxury hotel, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, and an array of family and mall-wide live entertainment as well as the first professional live theatre in a mall in the world, with 360-degree acts and shows performed on a multi-lift rotating festival stage with theatrical sound and lighting.