Ikea Exeter evacuated after ‘incident’ as staff and customers pictured outside | UK | News
The Swedish household goods giant said that an IKEA store was evacuated following the incident that took place in its parking lot today. Hundreds of customers were asked to leave after a minibus, which was said to have hit the sprinkler system in the parking lot under the store, raised a fire alarm.
An eyewitness told DevonLive that staff told shoppers the van had hit the system, triggering the alarm and the car park was flooded. They said more than 300 people were evacuated and some had to leave their belongings in the safe.
They added that outside staff had to block and direct incoming traffic as hundreds of customers gathered.
Another witness told the press they heard an alarm reporting a “technical problem”.
An IKEA spokesman said “standard safety procedures” were followed and the store was evacuated “as a precaution”.
The spokesperson said the store reopened within 60 minutes and apologized to customers for the inconvenience.
They added: “The safety of our customers and colleagues is always our top priority. Following an incident in the car park, our standard security procedures were activated and the store was evacuated as a precaution.
“The evacuation was completed quickly and safely while we assessed the situation. The store reopened within 60 minutes. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”
