I just saw a news update, an interview to a fire department officer, he reported that one of his men WAS SHOT AT BY THE SECURITY PERSONEL WHEN HE TRIED TO BREAK A DOOR TO LET THE PEOPLE OUT!!; it sounds awful, but I really hope those guards are part of the victims list.
The owner of the mall gave the order though, sometimes linching isn´t a bad option, is it?
There are conflicting reports as to whether or not the doors were actually locked, but if they were, heads will roll. Crazy what people will do for money.
So far, the only people who have claimed that6 the doors weren’t lcoked were either owners, shareholders, or management. Every other witness on the scene seems to agree that the doors were locked. (One of the emergency exits was actually welded shut as a permanent security measure.) A security guard testified that he was ordered to lock the doors, and the owner, his son, and three security guards have been charged with manslaughter.
People will go to prison over this one. It beggars belief.
[QUOTE=Arden RangerWhat the fuck kind of heartless and STUPID jackass puts not only the customers, but the employees at risk over a few lousy dollars?QUOTE]
Specially if you keep in mind that the place was burning down; I mean, the goods were gone already, wether the costumers took them or left them behind.
Apparently, the owners and the security staff are now admitting that the order to close the doors was indeed given. But not by them. By the logistical suport manager. Convenien…err…I mean… unfortunately, this person died in the fire.
I’m not not wanting to excuse managerial idiocy and locked emergency exist, but;
Many people when faced with a real fire seriously under-estimate the immediate threat it poses. They think it’s small and nothing to worry panic about, and it’s not going to get any bigger, or it’ll take a while to get bigger and by then it’ll will have be handled. They don’t have any experience in the speed and danger of a real fire.
By the time they do appreciate how dangerous it is, it is often already too late.
So it’s not unusual for people to behave inappropriately when faced with a fire emergency. Perhaps some of the quoted empolyees didn’t at first fully appreciate the scale of emergency they were facing, and so reverted to everyday security concerns. “Sure, there’s a fire,” they think. “But it’s not big enough to excuse people paying before they leave. Time enough for that.”
Similarly, it’s not unusual for others to attempt to put out a fire they really haven’t a prayer against. Again, they don’t appreciate the danger they are in.
This is why it’s so important to have a rehearsed fire drill. Something that people can do automatically, rather than letting them try and work out the best course of action in a situation they have no experience of. Obviously this shopping mall didn’t and that’s the management and owner’s fault.
I don’t see how this justifies shooting at fireman who were trying to get the doors opened. It also doesn’t justify locking the doors and then disappearing. The guards appear to have gotten out, which would seem to indicate that they were quite aware of the danger and fled the building.
Most probably. Especially since it seems to have been a major shock for the population which is apparently calling for blood, and many officials have clearly expressed their disgust.
Actually, according to the The Age cite, the owner’s going to be charged with homicide. As well he should – this is execrable. What kind of sick fuck do you have to be to keep people escaping from a burning building for the virtue of a little cash?
Anyway, I hope this guy gets what’s coming to him – a long prison sentence, and a hefty lawsuit.
People like this slime make me ashamed to be human.