A small kitchen fire at the Soriana inside Parque Delta pushed Sunday shoppers into the open air and sent city responders racing to the scene. Around midday on August 24, hot oil in a bakery fryer ignited, producing thick smoke that spread through the lower level of the Benito Juárez mall. No injuries were reported.
City firefighters said crews extinguished the flames quickly in the store’s bakery area. They described it as burned fryer oil, with the incident closed out at the scene. Mall visitors were evacuated as a precaution while the smoke cleared.
Parque Delta fire
El Universal reported “a little over 100” people evacuated, and normal operations resumed soon after ventilation. The location cited by authorities was Calle Xochicalco in Piedad Narvarte, the neighborhood that surrounds the mall.
Later that afternoon, the Benito Juárez mayor’s office ordered a temporary suspension of activity at the Híper Soriana as a preventive measure. Reopening requires safety documentation and inspections, including gas and structural checks, according to the municipal statement.
What officials say
The Heroico Cuerpo de Bomberos summarized the cause and outcome plainly: fryer oil ignited in Soriana’s bakery; firefighters extinguished the flames; there were no injuries, and the service was concluded. That account tracks with independent coverage from Milenio, Reforma, and other outlets that highlighted the fryer oil flash and the precautionary evacuation.
City images and bystander video showed smoke pooling near the mall’s entrances and along Xochicalco as shoppers and workers exited. The scene drew multiple emergency units, including local civil protection teams working with firefighters to manage the evacuation and inspection.
What comes next for the store and mall
The municipal suspension targets only the Soriana unit, not the entire complex. To reopen, the operator must present its internal civil-protection plan and pass gas-line, structural, and safety-compliance checks. That requirement is standard after any heat-and-smoke incident in a high-traffic venue. It is designed to verify that the initial hazard is truly contained and that systems function as intended.
For shoppers and workers, Sunday’s response is a reminder that the most serious risk during a contained kitchen fire is smoke: it limits visibility, aggravates breathing, and can trigger panic if exits or alarms aren’t clear. Authorities emphasized that the evacuation proceeded in an orderly way and that the incident remained confined to the store’s bakery area.
