Miami-Dade Fire Rescue gave the all-clear Thursday afternoon after thick smoke poured from the top floor of Aventura Mall, prompting confusion among shoppers.
According to mall officials, the incident occurred in the courtyard near the slide tower. The smoke originated from a possible kitchen fire at Motek, a Mediterranean restaurant that was open at the time.
In videos sent to CBS News Miami, sirens can be heard as smoke billows from the third floor.
Inside the mall, customers can be seen looking around in confusion before heading toward the exits.
Chopper 4 captured footage showing Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews at the mall.
“We just started seeing all this smoke. Big thick black smoke. This is not good,” said one man in a video he sent to CBS News Miami. “It was thick and heavy at first. Now it lightened up. Oh my god.”
Authorities said one man was treated on scene by fire rescue, though it remains unclear whether he was in the restaurant when the fire broke out.
While the mall has since reopened to shoppers and nearby roads are back open, Motek remains closed as the investigation continues.
