Hanoi house fire kills five, injures four
An early-morning fire swept through a four-story house in Hanoi's Tay Ho Ward on Sept 16, killing five members of one family and injuring four other people, two of whom were in intensive care. Four residents managed to escape. Six fire trucks and nearly 40 firefighters responded and the blaze was extinguished about an hour later.
An early-morning fire swept through a four-story house in a narrow alley in Hanoi's Tay Ho Ward on Sept 16, killing five people and injuring four others.
Residents tried to put out the flames with fire extinguishers but could not bring the blaze under control. A neighbour said the heat was so intense that windows on the second and third floors shattered. Several people escaped by climbing onto the roof of a neighbouring building.
Hanoi police dispatched six fire trucks and nearly 40 firefighters and rescue personnel. The house had a floor area of about 60 square metres on each level. Four people had already escaped when crews arrived; firefighters wearing breathing apparatus searched each floor while other teams contained the blaze.
The fire was extinguished about an hour later. Firefighters found five bodies inside the house. Four injured people were hospitalised, two of them in intensive care. The five victims were members of one family.
The chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee went to the scene and ordered support for the victims' families and an investigation into the cause. Vietnam's Prime Minister ordered an urgent investigation.Translated by 119zj