A popular hangout for locals and tourists visiting Bali has gone up in flames, with video showing just how quickly the building was engulfed in the early hours of the morning.
The Bintang Supermarket, located in Seminyak, was reported on fire at 2am Thursday causing extensive damage to the facility.
The precinct, which is one of the biggest and most popular shopping locations for tourists and locals in the area, stocking food and beverages as well as local products from the region. The supermarket chain also has locations in Ubud.
The massive blaze, which caused no casualties, reportedly tore through a 3,400 square metre area of the supermarket. Authorities are yet to determine what caused the fire.
Hundreds of social media users took to Facebook saddened by the news.
“That’s such awful news,” one person wrote.
“Very sad to hear about this … always shopped at Bintang Supermarket,” another added. “Hopefully they will rebuild.”
The fire reportedly ripped through all the shops on the first floor of the complex, and was completely extinguished after 19 fire truck units arrived on the scene.
“If it was going to happen, better to be at 2am than 2pm when undoubtedly a lot of tourists would be shopping there,” Ross Taylor, president of the Indonesian Institute in Perth told PerthNow.
“At this time of night, fire crews can also easily access the emergency without much traffic,” he added.”
