House fire in alley in Ho Chi Minh City HCMC: Heart-wrenching witness testimony as helplessly watching 2 trapped victims

Related to the house fire that occurred in Tan Binh District (Ho Chi Minh City). Some witnesses recounted the helpless moment when they could not save the victim who was still trapped inside because of the smoke and flames.

According to information from Dan Viet, around 9pm on December 5, people living on Le Van Sy street, Tan Binh district heard a loud explosion. When they came to check, they found the house in the alley of Le Van Sy Street, Ward 1, Tan Binh, Ho Chi Minh City. There was a sudden fire.

Residents of the area who discovered the incident immediately shouted at each other to try to put out the fire but all efforts failed, the fire spread to the house next door.

Citing information from Thanh Nien, as soon as receiving the message, the Police Fire and Rescue Team of Tan Binh District Police approached the scene, deployed a fire suppression and rescue plan. About 30 minutes after the fire was contained, police went inside to find the man who was a sibling (70 to 62 years old) had not survived, one near the stairs and the other on the ground floor. Many properties in the house were destroyed by fire.

The fire also burned much of the property inside. According to residents, the house contains a lot of flammable materials (paper, bottle mites), blocking all entrances. Residents have repeatedly suggested that the homeowner move out, but the homeowner had not been able to clean up when the fire occurred.

By nearly noon, that is, after more than 12 hours of the tragic fire, many people in the alley were still shocked and lamented. They gathered on their doorstep to share their grief with the victim's family.

"Poor thing, two men are stranded siblings. At that time, people tried to go inside to rescue but were helpless, the smoke and fire were too big," Tam (the victim's neighbor) said.

Tam said that around 9 p.m. last night, she and others saw flames coming from the ground floor of the house. Soon after, people shouted to bring fire extinguishers to approach to put out the fire.

However, the enveloping black smoke caused people to suffocate, making it difficult to reach the fire. Some people tried to spray the inside of their homes with a mini fire extinguisher.

According to Tam, the house where the fire occurred was inhabited by 5 people including 2 elderly people, a young man and 2 children. In which, 2 babies are the children of young men, while young men call 2 elders uncles.

"The young man who found out about the fire picked up 2 children and dragged 1 of them out. However, the wooden attic collapsed, causing his body to slip and get stuck in the staircase area. The other uncle was trapped in the house. Both boys were later found dead," Tam said.

Mr. Ba, who participated in the fire outreach, said the house contained a lot of bottle ticks. When burnt, this large number of bottle mites produces a burning smell and toxic fumes that cause asphyxiation.

"I know there are 2 people trapped inside but can't reach it. I just climbed to the 1st floor and was suffocated by smoke so I had to climb down," Ba said, choking up.

According to Mr. Ba, the fire produced a lot of toxic smoke and caused 4 elderly people in the house next door and opposite to asphyxiate, promptly given first aid by medical forces.

According to Nguyen Hung (50 years old, a resident of the alley), when the fire just broke out, people mobilized dozens of fire extinguishers to rush to put out the fire but failed because there was a lot of toxic smoke.

"When the police brought the victim out, everyone who saw it had tears in their eyes. The fire was so loud with many explosions that it formed a firewall in front of the door, the only way out of the house, making us helpless and inaccessible even though we knew there were people trapped inside," Hung said.

Currently, the cause of the house fire in the alley of Le Van Sy Street (Tan Binh District) is being clarified by the police.

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