City Centre Mall partially reopens after electrical fire
The CBC newsroom back in action
Most stores and office spaces in Edmonton City Centre Mall re-opened by Friday afternoon following an electrical fire.
Dozens of offices and stores in the downtown shopping centre had to be evacuated Thursday evening after an electrical fire broke out in the basement.
The basement filled with heavy smoke and Epcor had to shut down power. The fire burned for more than two hours before it was declared under control.
The mall, TD Tower and Oxford Tower — including the CBC Edmonton newsroom — had to be evacuated.
Sutton Place Hotel also lost power but continued to operate using its own generator.
No one was injured in the fire.
Some areas of the mall remain without power.
CBC staff slowly started returning to the newsroom on Friday, after air quality testing in their office space was completed.
"We're putting the band back together," wrote CBC Edmonton's managing editor Gary Cunliffe. "We have clear air quality, limited power and eager journos. Hit it!"
I haven't seen the CBC Edmonton newsroom this empty since the Harry Potter twins showed up downstairs in our Radio studio. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBC?src=hash">#CBC</a> <a href="https://t.co/X8HC1JNjhX">pic.twitter.com/X8HC1JNjhX</a>
—@GaryCunliffeCBCStaff allowed back into <a href="https://twitter.com/CBCEdmonton">@CBCEdmonton</a>. Running on generator power. So it's dark. "Everything is remarkably normal," I told <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesEvansCBC">@JamesEvansCBC</a>. <a href="https://t.co/zbjeij9V3q">pic.twitter.com/zbjeij9V3q</a>
—@PaulMooreCBCWe're putting the band back together. We have clear air quality, limited power and eager journos. Hit it! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBC?src=hash">#CBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yeg?src=hash">#yeg</a> <a href="https://t.co/qLkZJqWkqJ">pic.twitter.com/qLkZJqWkqJ</a>
—@GaryCunliffeCBC