About an hour before my shift finished this afternoon, an odd alarm started going off. I was very confused. It sounded like a tornado alarm from when I lived over in the USA, and we had drills and stuff. Anyway, I asked one of the managers, and he told me it was the fire alarm!
So the managers are trying to turn it off, and I keep serving customers who are yelling their orders over the siren. The kitchen guys are trying to track down where the fire is, trying to prove there isn't one, so there's no one cooking. And customers are getting angry.
The dining area starts filling up with smoke, the kitchen too, and people are still sitting around and eating. Out come the managers, unable to turn the alarm off. "It's legit! There's a fire! Everyone out!" Slowly, people leave. Some people have to be convinced to go. "But I'm not finished eating!" etc. You know how it goes.
Fire crews arrive - seven fire trucks! Sweet! And a handful of police are around. Everyone's told to back off except employees; we stand near the front entrance while people ask us when we're gonna re-open. Um, not anytime soon. The place is flooded and the power's turned off! Yeah, we're just gonna magic you up some disgustingly unhealthy food. Give us a minute to locate a wand.
They kept us around for another two hours. One was spent outside while the fire, found to be on fourth level from recently-installed electrical wiring, was extinguished. Then we went back in and cleared off the tables and put all the chairs up. We were allowed to go up to the crew rooms on the third level and get our stuff. The managers told us to call their mobiles tonight to find out if we're open tomorrow, and they let us go.
I called Mum, Dad and bf on the way home. Cos we might be on the news, plus Dad can see my work from his office window, so they wouldn't worry.
The fire was awesome cos no one was hurt, and I love love LOVE fire trucks and police cars! Yay! But I hope we're open tomorrow cos I need the cash.
So the managers are trying to turn it off, and I keep serving customers who are yelling their orders over the siren. The kitchen guys are trying to track down where the fire is, trying to prove there isn't one, so there's no one cooking. And customers are getting angry.
The dining area starts filling up with smoke, the kitchen too, and people are still sitting around and eating. Out come the managers, unable to turn the alarm off. "It's legit! There's a fire! Everyone out!" Slowly, people leave. Some people have to be convinced to go. "But I'm not finished eating!" etc. You know how it goes.
Fire crews arrive - seven fire trucks! Sweet! And a handful of police are around. Everyone's told to back off except employees; we stand near the front entrance while people ask us when we're gonna re-open. Um, not anytime soon. The place is flooded and the power's turned off! Yeah, we're just gonna magic you up some disgustingly unhealthy food. Give us a minute to locate a wand.
They kept us around for another two hours. One was spent outside while the fire, found to be on fourth level from recently-installed electrical wiring, was extinguished. Then we went back in and cleared off the tables and put all the chairs up. We were allowed to go up to the crew rooms on the third level and get our stuff. The managers told us to call their mobiles tonight to find out if we're open tomorrow, and they let us go.
I called Mum, Dad and bf on the way home. Cos we might be on the news, plus Dad can see my work from his office window, so they wouldn't worry.
The fire was awesome cos no one was hurt, and I love love LOVE fire trucks and police cars! Yay! But I hope we're open tomorrow cos I need the cash.
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