Fire breaks out in JEM hours after agreement to situate HSR terminus in Jurong East is signed

Twitter user Andy shared the video of the shopping mall JEM being caught on fire late on Tuesday (19 Jul) evening. The fire is the latest in a series of unfortunate incidents which happened at the shopping mall.

when jem is on fire and you can't really see it from the outside but everyone is looking up pic.twitter.com/RTEUwM2eKo

— andy ✨ (@andylxs) July 19, 2016

The incident happened a mere hours after Singapore and Malaysia’s Prime Minister signed an agreement for the KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR). The Singapore terminus of the HSR will be located at Jurong East.

Several Tweeters said that the fire happened in the basement of the mall and that shoppers were evacuated.

the huge crowd outside JEM since one of the store inside the mall on fire ?? pic.twitter.com/2uydtEmE4j

— aforazlanx (@xzlxn_) July 19, 2016

Kpop Artist Arrival at JEM.
Kidding. Fire at JEM shopping mall. And this is just kiasu Singaporeans at their worst. pic.twitter.com/2dKcSsV876

— QQ★멜빈 (@QQsmiles) July 19, 2016

Occupants in Jem being evacuated out of the mall probably due to a fire outbreak. pic.twitter.com/9x2lNAF4sS

— Kai (@turnizam07) July 19, 2016

According to a statement by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the fire was put out by the sprinklers which had been activated. There were no reported injuries.

The following is an incomplete list of unfortunate events at JEM since its opening:

2013 – Delayed opening by 4 days because no fire permits.
2013 – A fire broke out at NTUC JEM 2013
2013 – A car in underground car park caught fire
2013 – 3 hurt in JEM mall ceiling collapse
2013 – Glass door at Jurong East’s Jem mall shattered
2014 – Power cut for 11 hours
2014 – Water from sprinklers at JEM mall damages goods; some shops forced to close
2015 – Saladworks at Jem flooded
2016 – Woman rants against ‘deaf and mute’ cleaner at Jem foodcourt