NOTL mall evacuated after ‘hydro emergency’

Niagara-on-the-Lake’s outlet mall was evacuated for more than two hours Tuesday evening due to smoke.

Fire Chief Rob Grimwood said firefighters were called to Outlet Collection at Niagara at about 7:10 p.m., after smoke was reported at the Starbucks Coffee outlet in a free-standing building on the shopping centre’s grounds.

While firefighters were en route, Grimwood said smoke was detected at several other shops within the outlet mall and fire alarms were activated throughout the entire complex.

He said he “upgraded the call,” dispatching additional firefighters to the building aboard nine trucks. Niagara Regional Police were also called in.

“I think in the end, there were seven or eight separate units that experienced fairly heavy smoke conditions,” he said, adding no injuries were reported in the incident. Six teams of firefighters probed the source of the smoke, in “literally a store-by-store investigation,” Grimwood said.

“What we found was there was a hydro emergency.”

He said a problem related to the electrical grid within the shopping centre was creating a burning odour and smoke conditions. which had spread the smoke and odour.