Shoppers at Westfield Centre in San Francisco were evacuated briefly from the building Monday evening due to a small fire, officials said.
The small blaze broke out in the Coach store on the second floor of the mall just before 6 p.m. and was extinguished quickly, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. They said it started in a trash bin.
One evacuee said he didn't hear a fire alarm; he was told by mall staff that there's a fire, and they "kicked us out."
Hundreds of moviegoers, shoppers and workers made their way outside.
"It went pretty smoothly, no pushing, pretty quick," shopper Julian Rodriguez said. "I mean, there was a lot of people. Hopefully everyone got out safely."
Holiday shopper Marie Pistilli said her husband smelled smoke.
"He yelled my name," she said. "I thought he found something cute to wear, and then he said we need to go, there's a fire."
No injuries were reported. The shopping center remained closed for nearly an hour. Employees filed back inside once they got the all clear.
