A fire forced people to flee the 313@Somerset shopping mall in Orchard Road on Thursday night, but it was reopened for business again at 1.30pm on Friday.

Apologising for the inconvenience, GM Cheryl Goh says the mall is working with authorities to investigate the cause of the fire.

Many retail employees had turned up for work on Friday morning to find the shutters down and entrances barricaded. Security guards told the workers the mall was likely to open after midday. However, Costa Coffee and Marche on the ground floor were trading.

Some employees were later allowed to enter the mall to take what they needed from their shops.

Staff from steamboat restaurant Hai Di Lao removed ingredients and their soup bases, which were sent to its other outlets.

Australian sportswear retailer Ripcurl, where the fire supposedly started, is closed until further notice. Other shops have gradually reopened, but the escalators on one side of the mall are still closed for maintenance.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) says it was alerted to the fire about 10.25pm on Thursday. It says the fire was in a store room inside a shop on the fourth floor. This was extinguished using a single water jet, while the mall’s sprinkler system was also activated.

A witness says security guards were “running here and there” shouting at people to leave the mall when the fire alarm was activated.

A woman was taken to Singapore General Hospital after she tripped and fell.