Shoppers flee fire

SHOPPERS were evacuated last weekend after a fire broke out at Eden Rise Shopping Centre in Berwick.
The blaze alarmed shoppers on Sunday afternoon as flames shot out into the sky above the roof of the complex at the corner of Clyde and O’Shea Roads.
CFA captain Alan Boyd said many calls were made to 000 and fire authorities were alerted at 3.12pm.
Firefighters from Berwick and Narre Warren were confronted with a fire in the roof above the charcoal chicken shop at the front of the centre.
The shops in the centre closed while the fire crews tackled the blaze from inside the store and on the roof.
Captain Boyd said the high winds made it difficult for firefighters to work on the roof, though they quickly brought the blaze under control.
The main entrance to the shopping centre and Coles supermarket were ventilated to remove the majority of the thick smoke before shoppers were allowed to re-enter.
The cause of the fire is not suspicious.