Mini apartment fire, more than 90 casualties in Hanoi

On September 13, Hanoi City Police are coordinating with professional units to investigate to clarify the cause of the fire that killed 56 people and injured 37 people (as of 7:00 p.m. September 13) that occurred at the apartment complex. Mini apartment address 37, alley 29/70, Khuong Ha street (Khuong Dinh ward, Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi city). This is a 9-storey house, 1 tum, built on an area of about 200m2 with about 150 people living.

Fire scene on the first floor.

Fire scene on the first floor.

According to initial information, around 11:20 p.m. on September 12, people discovered a fire at the house number mentioned above. Very soon, the fire broke out fiercely, with a column of black smoke rising dozens of meters high. At the time of the incident, there were many people inside the apartment. Witnesses said they heard many cries for help and screams from the house on fire.

Firefighters tried to pump water to put out the fire.

“A lot of people called me for help because they had children, but the fire department couldn't reach them. Many people ran to the rooftop of the building, turned on flash lights to signal for help..." - witnesses said, they were haunted by the screams of the victims.

The big fire left the house engulfed in black smoke and panic, some people jumped from a high floor to the ground...

Receiving the news, Hanoi City Police immediately dispatched and mobilized 15 fire engines, rescue vehicles, transport vehicles and more than 100 officers and soldiers of the fire prevention and fighting forces. The Ministry of Public Security, the Fire Police University and forces of the City Police arrived at the scene to coordinate with other city forces, authorities and local people to organize firefighting and rescue.

However, because the road leading to the fire site is narrow, firefighting vehicles cannot reach the scene. From Khuong Ha street to the area where the fire occurred is about 300-400m, the further into the alley, the narrower it gets. . Firefighters had to pull hundreds of meters of wire from outside to put out the fire. About 45 minutes after arriving at the scene, the functional forces basically extinguished the fire, preventing it from spreading to surrounding houses.

Not only were the screams and hopeless calls for help haunting, but the images during the night and early morning of September 13, of victims continuously being taken out on stretchers and onto ambulances to hospitals, also made everyone feel uncomfortable. Even those who witnessed it felt sad.

According to preliminary statistics, the authorities have successfully rescued over 70 people, taken 54 people to the emergency room, including some who died (the most tragic was a family of 7 people, including 3 people). young child, died). Many firefighting and rescue officers and soldiers are almost exhausted after many hours of firefighting and rescue.

Shipper rushed into the fire to save people

The victim was taken out on the morning of September 13.

According to Hanoi City Police, during the firefighting process, a large force of firefighting officers and soldiers, district and ward police in Thanh Xuan district along with a large number of people, university students, and volunteers Staff and doctors at many medical facilities have actively participated in the process of first aid and emergency care for victims.

Notably, when a fire broke out, not only did the firefighting and rescue force try their best to fight the fire and save people, but some people braved the danger and rushed into the house and saved many people to safety.

A typical case is Mr. Nguyen Dang Van (30 years old, from Bac Ninh province). At the time of the fire, Mr. Van worked as a shipper. When he received news from his brother that the house was on fire and his relatives were trapped on the 4th floor, the young man quickly ran to try to save people.

Mr. Van said that when he arrived at 0:23, the house was on fire and there were many people around. “I was scared to death. I waited a moment and saw the police coming in. I followed and went in with them. At that time, I was still wearing a helmet on my head, a mask, and no protective equipment. The smoke inside is very toxic..." - Mr. Van shared.