House fire in Hanoi: Grandma shuddered to recount the moment she put her grandson in a plastic bucket dropped from the 3rd floor

Initially, Mrs. M. intended to put the baby in the basket she usually used for shopping, but was afraid of uncertainty, so she switched to the red bucket next to her. She tied the rope to the strap and dropped the bucket from the 3rd floor.

Previously, according to information from Tuoi Tre, on the morning of August 29, a 4-storey house fire occurred at Lane 171 Nguyen Ngoc Vu, Trung Hoa Ward, Cau Giay District, Hanoi.

Nguyen Thi M. (the landlord) said that around 8:30 a.m., she noticed the smell of burning and black smoke coming from the first floor - which rents a barber shop, shampoo hair - immediately shouted at her husband, 2 children and neighbors, then asked the people below to stamp out the electrical circuit breaker outside.

At the time of the fire, there were 5 people in the house, including Mrs. M. and her husband and 3 family members, including a baby who was more than 5 months old.

"When the fire was discovered, my husband and grandchildren promptly lowered the ladder at the back of the house to run to the next house. I picked up my 5.5-month-old baby and put it in a bucket and the rope dropped it on the ground," M. said.

Hearing the loud screams, Nguyen Thi Tam (65) and residents simultaneously ran out of the house, discovering a neighbor's house on fire. At that time, the first-floor rolling door was still closed, smoke billowing.

"The fire happened during the morning rush hour, the alley was crowded, everyone stopped to assist," Tam said.

According to information from Dan Tri newspaper , Mrs. M. initially planned to put the baby in a basket often used for shopping, but was afraid of uncertainty, so she switched to using a red bucket next to her. She tied the rope to the strap and dropped the bucket from the 3rd floor. As she released her, she shouted, "Guys, you save the baby inside the bucket."

When the baby was safely rescued, Mrs. M. breathed a sigh of relief, and managed to escape. At this time, she and her members ran to the 4th floor, using a wooden ladder to pass the school next door to escape to the ground. "It was dark in the house, there was no other way, I had to use a bucket to take him downstairs. Luckily she was good, she didn't tread," Mrs. M. said.

Talking about the rope tied on the balcony, Mrs. M. said she had a sore leg so she came home from the market every day and tied food to the rope to pull it up. She herself did not expect this rope to save her grandson's life.

She realized that the family's failure to build fences or balcony enclosures after witnessing many tragic fires, was the right thing to do to save the family's lives.

Ms. Tam recalled that many villagers simultaneously picked up the baby from a plastic bucket and handed it over to a woman to take care of. Other neighbors repeatedly used knives to scrape the first-floor rolling door but failed. Moments later, a man rushed home to get a crowbar.

"People using crowbars, people using fire extinguishers, many others also using buckets of water, joined forces to put out the fire," Tam said.

As someone who directly urged people to find tools to break down doors, a man living in lane 171 Nguyen Ngoc Vu said that at the time of the fire, smoke was coming from the first floor of the house.

This place was originally rented as a hair shop. He then shouted at bystanders to try to break down the rolling door and called fire and rescue police.

Receiving the fire alarm, the Police Fire Protection and Rescue Team of Cau Giay District Police and the Area 2 Fire and Rescue Team (Fire Protection and Rescue Police Department, Hanoi Police) were dispatched to the scene.

Just after 9 a.m., the fire was completely extinguished. Authorities are tallying property damage and clarifying the cause of the fire. The 4-story house fire caused no human casualties.

From noon, Mrs. M.'s family hired an electrical repairman and moved into a relative's house. Enlisting to visit home, the woman went to each neighbor's house to say thank you. "Remembering the fire, I still feel shivers. The family is fortunate to have been supported by the authorities and neighbours through the tribulation," she said.

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