Fire at Parkson's! Please don gas masks, complete your purchases

A fire broke out at the Huai Hai Lu Parkson's on the night of September 7 around 8:45 PM (article in Chinese). One of the escalators caught on fire, they had the fire out in a couple of hours and the store was closed on Friday. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but what was interesting was this short article which stated that customers were asked to pay for their purchases before evacuating the building (article in Chinese). We're not sure how this went down -- is there a chance that a Shanghaiist reader was either there or nearby at the time? Still no word yet about the actual cause of the fire -- they've ruled out arson and short-circuits (the escalator was still moving when the fire started). They also say that escalators and elevators are supposed to be checked frequently, and that department stores should all be prepared for emergency situations that involve evacuations. Employees have to know exit routes and must also help direct and guide people out. Did they do that at Parkson's? You're supposed to make people drop what they are buying and evacuate them, but the second article seems to suggest they did otherwise.

Photo from www.xmnext.com.