Samsung's never-ending woes with fire continue, as a Samsung Experience Store in the AMK Hub mall caught fire in Singapore on March 28 — a day before the unveiling of the Galaxy S8.
The Samsung Experience Store has been temporarily shut down, due to the fire. The incident also hampered the business of a few shops near the store, which too have closed temporarily.
Samsung Store Fire: What Happened?
Andy Kau, the General Manager of the AMK Hub said that the fire occurred at 1.25 a.m. local time. The Singapore Civil Defence Force was notified of the fire at 1.32 a.m.
The SCDF was prompt to send two Red Rhinos, two fire trucks, as well as five support vehicle to the location.
The fire reportedly started in the storeroom of the Samsung store's basement. The fire was put out "within minutes" with the help of the mall's water sprinklers and a water jet from SCDF. No injuries or casualties were reported.
While the fire was brought under control quickly, the surrounding stores had to be shut down for safety purposes. Kau also added that AMK will be working in tandem with some of the tenants, to help them start their businesses again as soon as possible.
The SCDF revealed that the cause of the fire has not been ascertained.
"We are currently assessing the property damage and working closely with the authorities to determine the cause of the fire. The store will remain temporarily closed during this period. We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused," said Samsung in a statement.
Samsung's Previous Trysts With Fire
This is not the first time Samsung has come under the radar for a tryst with fire. In 2016, the South Korean company was forced to recall roughly 4 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones. This mass recall was due to battery issues and led to the handset's explosion. The company later affirmed that the problem occurred because of the battery overheating.
In February this year, a Samsung factory in China, which produced batteries for the Galaxy Note 7, caught fire as well. As reported by The Telegraph, it took 110 firemen and 19 fire trucks to bring the flames under control at the Samsung SDI factory.
Things look not-so-positive for Samsung as the launch of its Galaxy S8 on March 29 is knocking on the door. With such a mishap occurring right before the flagship's launch, Samsung will be hoping that these incidents do not divert the focus from the Galaxy S8's arrival.
