- Fourteen people were killed and six injured in an overnight fire at an apartment building in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi.
- Fire engines could not reach the building, which was located in a narrow alley just 6.5 feet wide, and firefighters were forced to use hoses to put out the blaze.
- The fire started in a courtyard that is used as a garage for the sale and repair of electric bicycles, where the batteries are often charged overnight.
Fourteen people were killed and six injured in an overnight fire at an apartment building in a narrow alley in Vietnam’s capital, state media reported on Friday.
State media said firefighters were finally able to use hoses to put out the blaze after fire engines were unable to reach the apartment building in central Hanoi, which could only be accessed via a 6.5-foot-wide alley.
The fire broke out at about 12.30am and was accompanied by several explosions, according to the Vietnam News Agency, and took an hour to put out.
10 killed in 9-storey apartment fire in Vietnam
Neighbor Nguyen Thanh Trung said he was asleep when he heard the explosion but rushed outside to see what was happening. “I felt the impact going through my house,” he said, adding that he and others used ladders to break windows and help people evacuate.
This photo shows the aftermath of a fire that broke out at a residential building in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 24, 2024. The blaze killed 14 people and injured six, state media reported on Friday. (Phan Nhat Anh/VNA via Associated Press)
State media reported that there were 24 people in the building at the time, including seven family members of the owner and 17 tenants. The injured are in stable condition and are being treated at Hanoi Transport Hospital.
According to state media, the fire broke out in a small courtyard in front of a building used as a garage for selling and repairing electric bikes.
Chun said his family would often charge their motorcycle batteries at night.
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The alley was later sealed off by police, with the apartment left with a burnt-out bike, vegetation and belongings scattered about.
Authorities announced they would pay $1,962 in compensation to the families of those killed and $1,177 to those injured.
The fire is reminiscent of one that killed more than 50 people in similar circumstances in Hanoi last September, with rescue efforts then also hampered by the city’s narrow alleys.
