VivoCity entrance shuts during fire alarm, leaves commuters stranded at HarbourFront MRT station
A shutter at the entrance linking HarbourFront MRT station to VivoCity unexpectedly closed for about 20 minutes on Jan 30, leaving a group of commuters stranded outside the gantry.
Ms Yeo, a personal assistant in her early 40s, told Stomp that she was meeting a friend for dinner at the mall when the fire alarm was triggered at around 5.15pm.
The siren rang for about five minutes, before the shutter began to descend.
In Ms Yeo's TikTok post about the incident, the shutter is seen lowering as mall patrons rush to slip through the narrowing gap, with some even crouching down to get through.
Soon, the shutter closes completely, as the camera pans to a group of puzzled commuters stranded outside the MRT gantry.
Visitor calls for clearer communication from mall management
Ms Yeo told Stomp that this was her first time encountering such a situation in her two years working at an office in HarbourFront Centre, adding that she did not hear any announcement from the mall about a fire drill before the shutters started to close.
"At that moment, there were no security officers from VivoCity to guide visitors to exit or to manage the situation," she said.
"Everyone was squeezing through the gate while it was slowly closing, which could have caused serious safety issues."
About three minutes after the shutter closed, an announcement was made advising visitors to use another MRT exit to enter the mall, Ms Yeo recalled, adding that the siren continued to ring for about 20 minutes.
She added that no information was given on whether the incident was a fire drill, a false alarm, or a real emergency.
"Overall, the lack of timely communication and security presence caused confusion and panic among visitors, and I feel that this could have been handled much better for public safety," she concluded.
Stomp has reached out to VivoCity for comment.
Netizens express safety concerns
Ms Yeo's post quickly went viral, garnering over 521,000 views and 7,000 likes.
Netizens expressed confusion and concern in the comments, with some describing the act of ducking under the shutter as "super dangerous".
"Maybe it's panic or not understanding the situation. Definitely hope the authorities look into this and figure out ways to improve safety measures and awareness," one netizen commented.
Others speculated that it was a routine system test, to ensure that safety mechanisms work in an emergency.
"Why are people acting like this is the only entrance?" another mused.
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