2000 people evacuated, massive traffic disruptions
Store should reopen for business tomorrow
MYER bosses were hopeful their central Melbourne store will reopen for business tomorrow after 2000 people were evacuated following a fire in the flagship building today.
Up to 60 firefighters and 16 trucks attended the Bourke St department store where the fire was detected just before 3.30pm on the fifth floor, a Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokeswoman said.
Senior fire officer Rick Gili said damage was minimal as the fire was contained to a vertical riser shaft which contains wires and building services such as piping.
Mr Gili said earlier reports the fire was burning in a lift well were incorrect.
The store is undergoing refurbishment and only the basement and ground floors are open for trading while floors one to nine are a construction site.
"Because it`s a disused building undergoing construction, we were able to keep the fire away from heritage listed areas on level six, so damage is minimal," Mr Gili said.
He said the fire spread from the fifth to the ninth floor.
Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes said the 500 staff and 1500 shoppers in the store at the time were evacuated and no injuries were reported.
"All our customers and our staff and the builders were evacuated very quickly," Mr Brookes said. He said the cause of the fire was unknown at this stage.
Mr Brookes said the riser shaft "acted a bit like a chimney because it`s just straight up and down".
He said he hoped the store would reopen for business tomorrow.
The fire was brought under control within two hours of a worker at a nearby building spotting black smoke billowing from the Myer roof.
The blaze caused massive disruption to peak hour traffic in the city, closing parts of Swanston St, Bourke St and Little Bourke St and affecting 12 tram routes.
