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Authorities determined that the fire at a house along a canal in District 8 (Ho Chi Minh City) on the evening of April 1 did not cause any casualties. According to initial statistics, the total area burned was 470 square meters.
In the early morning of April 2, District 8 authorities were still coordinating with relevant units to examine the scene and investigate the cause of the fire that burned down many houses along Tau Hu canal, in an alley on Pham The Hien street, Ward 2.
The fire lasted for more than an hour, most of the people whose houses were burned suffered great property damage because they did not have time to get out.
Some people only grabbed a few personal papers and house papers and ran out. Some people had their houses burned down, leaving them with only the clothes they were wearing. Some people didn’t even have time to put on their slippers before running out.
"The house fire spread very quickly, and the on-site fire fighters could not put it out."
At 7:40 p.m. on April 1, smoke and fire broke out at a yard storing old wood materials behind a house (no number) in alley 124 Pham The Hien street, close to the edge of the canal.
Living next door, Mrs. Nghia (40 years old) said that at the time the fire broke out, she was inside the house and heard shouting outside and felt the heat and the smell of smoke spreading quickly. Looking down from her window, she was overwhelmed by the fierce, red flames at the wood workshop next door.
Mrs. Nghia quickly put her identification papers in her bag and ran out of the house. Mrs. Nghia said that at that moment, she could no longer remember where she left her money or valuables.
"It's a joy to be able to bring the papers out," the woman said, still feeling confused.
After 10 pm, sitting in front of the alley where the fire occurred, Ms. Lien (61 years old) with a tired and dazed face said that her house was completely "engulfed" by the fire, burned down. She said that at the time of the fire, she was in the house with her young child when she heard screams nearby. She ran out to look towards the canal and saw red flames covering a large area of the sky.
Ms. Lien quickly called for help from people around her to put out the fire. However, the fire spread very quickly, reaching her house in just a few short minutes.
"The fire spread very quickly, we couldn't put it out in time, there was nothing we could do to put it out. I quickly grabbed my child and ran away, after a few steps I looked back and the house was engulfed in flames," Ms. Lien sadly recounted.
Pointing to her feet, Ms. Lien said she was so busy running with her child that she didn’t have time to put on slippers and was now barefoot. The 61-year-old woman said that although her family didn’t have many valuable assets, her savings and many important documents in the wardrobe were also burned.
"If the fire department had arrived a few minutes later, my house would have burned down."
Ms. Ly (40 years old), whose house is in the alley where the fire broke out, said that when the fire broke out, she was in the house with her two children. Hearing many shouts outside, she ran out and looked up at the sky and saw the red, billowing fire spreading quickly towards her house. Ms. Ly quickly ran into the house and called her two children to grab their valuables and run outside.
The fire then spread quickly near her house but "nothing could stop it", she was very afraid that her house would be "swallowed" by the fire. After more than 10 minutes, she heard the fire truck arrive and luckily the fire police sprayed water to prevent the fire from spreading. Mrs. Ly's house was protected and the fire was extinguished.
"Luckily, there were people drinking in front of the alley where the fire broke out, so when the fire broke out, someone shouted and I knew and ran out with my two children. If the fire police had arrived a few minutes later, my house would have burned down," Ms. Ly shared.
Ms. Truong Kim Yen had two houses in the alley burned down. At the time of the fire, many young people discovered it in time, but nothing could stop the fire from spreading rapidly from the old wooden houses.
"Once dry wood burns, nothing can put it out," said Ms. Yen.
Nam (35 years old) was the person who called 114 and said that as soon as he discovered the fire had broken out and spread, everyone frantically tried to put it out with fire extinguishers but "it was no use". Seeing this, he quickly moved his car and the obstacles out of alley 124 to make it easier for the fire department to reach the scene.
According to Mr. Nam, the area where the fire broke out has many houses storing old wooden furniture for sale, which does not ensure fire safety, posing a potential risk of fire and explosion. He and many other households have repeatedly reminded and petitioned the local authorities, but have not received any response.
According to the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department (PC07) of Ho Chi Minh City Police, the unit mobilized and deployed forces immediately after receiving the report and basically controlled the fire at 20:40. The fire did not cause any human casualties.
Initial statistics show that the total burned area is 470 square meters. Specifically, the fire completely burned 50 square meters of house number 206/1/18A; about 100/150 square meters of house number 206/1/18; about 320 square meters of old wood material yard (located behind the row of houses, right on the riverbank).
The main combustible materials were old wood and household items. Firefighters were able to protect the front row of houses, about 1,120 square meters, and the row of houses on the right side of the house was completely burned.
