A man was hospitalized at São José in Lisbon following a fire that broke out this afternoon at Atrium Saldanha. The chief sub-officer of the Firefighters Regiment (RSB) explained the hospitalization was due to smoke inhalation.
According to the official, Seiça de Sousa, the victim received initial assistance from the fire brigade outside the building, where he was found by the operatives upon their arrival. “As a precaution,” he was then taken to the hospital.
“It is not clear whether he was an employee or someone dining,” he mentioned.
The fire alarm was raised at 1:15 pm when “three frying pans caught fire.” This incident resulted in the evacuation of the building, facilitated by both firefighters and mall security personnel.
“Upon our arrival, the fire was extinguished by smothering,” stated the chief sub-officer of RSB, two hours after the alert was raised.
“Currently, we are ventilating the building to ensure it can reopen safely,” he detailed, explaining that the procedure aims to “remove” all smoke from the building so that it remains safe to occupy.
A little over two hours after the alert, the mall remains closed. However, according to the official, it should be possible to reopen the building on Wednesday, albeit with some constraints.
“The commercial center will reopen; however, the affected restaurant zone will not,” he confirmed, indicating necessary repairs due to general damages. He also noted water-induced damage during firefighting efforts, alongside the fire itself.
On-site were 18 members of the Firefighters Regiment, supported by six vehicles. Public Security Police also attended the scene.
The Atrium Saldanha has 12 floors. The dining section is located on floor 0
Atrium Saldanha is one of Lisbon’s key shopping centers, inaugurated on March 3, 1998, and designed by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill.
The building includes commercial and office areas, with a total of 12 main body floors and six parking levels. The shopping gallery spans the first three floors, comprising 60 stores and featuring an internal panoramic elevator.
On floor 0, partially underground on the side of Praça Duque de Saldanha, with direct street access via Rua Fernão Lopes, lies the food court with around a dozen restaurants.
Floors 1 and 2 are dedicated to shops, while the remaining nine upper floors house offices ranging from 40m² to 3,700m², with access via four main elevator cores, totaling 18 elevators.
