Hotel fire in Ho Chi Minh City, many people trapped

At around 3pm on March 16, a fire broke out in a room on the second floor of a 100 square meter hotel on Hoang Huu Nam Street, Long Thanh My Ward. At that time, many people shouted to each other and used mini fire extinguishers to put out the fire, but were unsuccessful.

Because the room had many pillows, mattresses, and wooden cabinets, the fire spread quickly, releasing toxic smoke into the rooms above. Many people were trapped and could not run down to the ground floor, so they went out to the balcony to call for help. Hotel staff and some people nearby ran up the stairs to rescue them, but were blocked by smoke and fire.

Several fire trucks and nearly 30 police officers arrived at the scene. Firefighters wearing gas masks and oxygen tanks climbed over the roof of a neighboring house to reach the trapped people. Several adults and children were covered in black smoke and were rescued by police. By 3:40 p.m., the fire was under control.