A fire broke out in a shop located in Henveiru Ward of capital Male' on Sunday afternoon.
Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) stated that they received reports of the fire in 'Vestire', a clothing store on the corner of Janavaree Magu road, at around 1308 hrs.
MNDF firefighters controlled and extinguished the blaze by approximately 1330 hrs.
According to the security services, the origin of the fire was the shop's air conditioner indoor unit.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
However, all the textiles inside Vestire were completely burnt by the time the fire was put out.
The shop was operated on the ground floor of a 3-storey building. All residents were immediately evacuated after the fire broke out.
Local media Mihaaru reported that Vestire's owner, Hassan Zubair, had locked up the shop around noon. He was reportedly informed of the fire by a friend.
This is the second fire incident in Male' within the past 48 hours.
On Friday night, a major blaze erupted in Cafe' Tiolo, also located in the Henveiru Ward of capital Male'. The fire completely burned through the two-storey cafe', and spread to the adjacent 10-storey Gadhage Mohamed Fulhu Building. Although the penthouse and top floors sustained most of the damages in the fire, lower floors were also affected to varying degrees.
Authorities are currently investigating the Cafe' Tiolo incident, but have yet to determine a cause for the fire. Meanwhile, the cafe's owner has speculated that it was an act of arson.
Almost a year after the largest fire incident in capital Male' tore through a narrow street resulting in one death and displacing hundreds, Friday night's blaze raised several concerns amongst the public, with citizens echoing the need for decentralisation to reduce fire hazards in the congested capital.
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