Diners Evacuate As Fire Breaks Out At PLQ Yakiniku Like, Outlet Closed For Maintenance

Smoke From Fire Engulfs Yakiniku Like Restaurant In PLQ

At BBQ restaurants, it’s normal to see a little smoke here and there as diners grill the meat themselves before savouring it.

However, those who did so at Yakiniku Like in Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) Mall encountered a rather alarming sight yesterday (5 Nov) evening.

Thick smoke had engulfed the outlet, causing diners and staff to evacuate the area.

The restaurant confirmed that a fire had broken out on their premises. They have closed the outlet for maintenance and apologised for the disruption caused.

Fire breaks out at Yakiniku Like in PLQ

TikTok user @jazminandaya, aka Jazmin, posted footage of the incident to the social media platform on 5 Nov.

In the video, smoke billows out of a stove in the restaurant, causing customers to hold their hands over their noses to avoid inhaling it.

The subsequent few clips show the restaurant turning foggy from the excessive smoke. Both customers and employees can be seen evacuating the premises promptly.

Jazmin, who was there with her husband, told MS News the fire started a few minutes after they submitted their order. “At first, we did not panic since it’s a normal scene in Yakiniku Like to see fire on the stove occasionally,” she said.

But when the fire got bigger and almost reached the ceiling, that’s when they knew something was wrong.

Jazmin related that the family sitting at that table was transferred and the waiter managed to put out the fire. “We thought everything was fine already when the waitress started to use a fire extinguisher.”

But the restaurant was filled with billowing smoke. Jazmin managed to zoom in on the affected stove, where soot had already started to gather.

Diners evacuate to safety as smoke fills restaurant

The footage ends with customers waiting outside while employees gather at the entrance to presumably discuss their next course of action.

At this point, visibility in the restaurant has dropped completely, with smoke filling up every square inch of the premises.

Jazmin said when she and her husband were standing outside, they could see that there was a blaze at the bottom of the table. They left the restaurant as the smoke got bigger.

“I think no one got hurt and the waiters acted so calmly that no one panicked,” she added.

Restaurant apologises for incident

On 6 Nov, Yakiniku Like addressed the incident in a post via Facebook.

They confirmed that a fire had indeed broken out at their outlet in PLQ at 6.55pm on 5 Nov.

All guests and staff had safely evacuated the premises, while an employee managed to put out the fire.

“As safety is our utmost priority, our PLQ outlet will be closed for maintenance until further notice,” they added. “We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

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Featured image adapted from TikTok.