Wet Jem as sprinklers turn on unexpectedly

There were indoor showers at the Jem mall in Jurong yesterday when some sprinklers came on unexpectedly, damaging goods and forcing some tenants to close for the day to clean up.

A large section of the ground floor spanning some 15 shops was cordoned off until about 3.30pm while cleaners mopped up the water, and some escalators remained switched off in the evening.

A Jem spokesman said water sprinklers on the atrium side of the mall were triggered at about 12.15pm, causing water to reach some areas on levels B1, 1 and 2 as well as some shops. The spokesman did not say what had caused the sprinklers to go off.

The incident lasted a few minutes and left parts of the ground floor inundated with water that was toe-deep, said skin care company Astalift’s shop manager Denise Su, 25.

Massage chair and equipment maker Ogawa has an ongoing event in the atrium, and an employee said about 10 chairs and 60 smaller pieces of equipment were damaged by the water. The chairs cost between $4,000 and $7,000 each, while the smaller items cost between $25 and $700, he said.

“After the water came down, the mall switched off the power to the atrium at about 2pm,” said the employee. “We have not tried to turn the chairs back on as we do not know the extent of the damage yet.”

At least three shops – Lowrys Farm, Poh Heng Jewellery and Soo Kee Jewellery – said they would remain closed for at least a day to clean up, while nearby Sephora shuttered its entrance closest to the affected area at about 5pm, but stayed open.

Jem, which opened nearly a year ago, was in the news because of two fires last August. It was also closed for nearly two weeks last September after its first-floor ceiling collapsed because of a burst water pipe. The mall was also hit by an 11-hour power failure in March.

This article was first published on June 18, 2014.
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