Over a hundred shoppers and workers were evacuated from the Rotorua Central Mall today while firefighters tried finding the cause of the alarm.
Fire and Emergency NZ senior station officer Brendon Grills said it took the team about an hour to deem the mall safe.
Grills said the panel indicated it came from the food court area rather than a specific store or location.
The large area meant it took a while for the firefighters to work through for their conclusion it was a false alarm and no store was responsible.
Alarm systems worked in panels to tell firefighters which area to search.
