A fire broke out on the third floor of a dysfunctional restaurant at Phoenix Mall in Ahmednagar on Friday, triggering panic among visitors. No casualties were reported in the incident, fire officials said.

The fire started around 3:30 p.m. in a dysfunctional restaurant on the third floor. Given the seriousness of the situation, five firefighting vehicles, two water tankers and a Branto (used to fight fires in the towers) were used.

Nilesh Mahajan, fire brigade spokesperson, said: “The fire broke out in a dysfunctional restaurant on the third floor of the mall. The restaurant has been closed since the pandemic. However, it did cause panic, mainly due to the intense smoke that was generated.”

Mall staff, along with firefighters, immediately evacuated more than 1,000 visitors from the second and first floors. No injuries or casualties have been reported.

Phoenix Mall management in its official statement said: “Today a smoke incident occurred in a vacant unit in the mall. The fire was quickly contained by our staff and responding firefighters. Due to the immediate implementation of safety protocols, all occupants were safely evacuated and there were no injuries or property damage. ”