Enfield Square Tenants Notified Of Fire Hazards, Closure Possibility

ENFIELD, CT — Fire safety hazards at the Enfield Square shopping mall have been met with non-responsiveness from its owners, prompting town officials to advise tenants of the possibility of short- or long-term closure.

On Friday afternoon, chief building official Raymond Steadward hand-delivered a letter (shown below) to mall tenants, informing them of "issues with getting mall ownership/management to maintain parts of the mall in compliance with minimum building and fire codes."

According to a social media post from the office of the town manager, public safety personnel were using a second floor space in May to conduct a training, when a large breach in the roof was reported to the fire marshal, and subsequently Steadward. Notice was given to the mall manager, and the Namdar ownership group was also noticed by certified mail and acknowledged the receipt of such on May 30.

The hole in the roof negatively impacts the ability of the fire suppression and sprinkler system to work properly. Infiltrating water and missing or damaged ceiling tiles means heat, fire and smoke are unable to be trapped; instead, they get past the sprinkler system, and could travel into other parts of the building and not be detected, according to the town manager.

Several conversations, inspections and Zoom calls occurred over the course of the next few weeks with only minimal response. Cautionary emails to mall ownership last occurred Wednesday; to date, they have not responded, according to the town manager.

Steadward delivered the notices to all tenants, including Target, "as a precautionary measure." The social media post indicates the mall and Target will not necessarily be closed, "but the potential exists if the mall ownership continues to be non-responsive to the public safety threat that exists, then it may be closed."