The sprinkler set off the plaza’s alarm system and shoppers were asked to leave the building about 2pm.

Doors to the Kangaroo Flat shopping centre reopened about 2.15pm after a burst water pipe was identified as the alarm trigger.

Water poured from a pipe in the roof of the drive-through, but no other fire sprinklers in the shopping centre were activated.

Firefighters had to wait for water to drain out of the system before they could repair the damaged sprinkler.

Kangaroo Flat fire brigade captain Andrew Purdy said five appliances attended the incident.

“The high maximum is clearly stated but it seems an oversized vehicle has tried to go though and managed to break one of the sprinkler heads,” he said.

Lansell Plaza trader Tamara Thompson, who owns Rug Addiction, said the evacuation had been handled well.

“The alarm was loud but it was all handled quickly and taken care of,” she said.