Grandmother cries looking for grandchild suspected to be trapped in fire

Standing outside the protective fence, Mrs. Ha trembled as she asked people who escaped the fire on Tran Thai Tong Street about her 23-year-old nephew, but had no clues.

Fire broke out fiercely at high-rise karaoke bars.

At 6 p.m. on November 1, dozens of firefighters were still trying to put out the fire at the karaoke bar on Tran Thai Tong Street (Cau Giay, Hanoi). Standing behind the median strip, Ms. Do Thi Ha was nervous as doctors and nurses brought a stretcher near the scene. Seeing the ambulance rushing in with its siren, she tried to rush after it, but the security forces stopped her.

Ms. Ha tried to rush into the scene but was stopped by the authorities. Photo: PH

Unable to hide her worry, she said her 23-year-old grandson, who works as an environmental sanitation worker, was trapped in the fire while singing karaoke today. The group of friends managed to escape when the fire broke out, but her grandson is still nowhere to be found. "I pray that he will be okay. Even if he is burned, he will pass. As long as he is alive, that's all that matters," she muttered.

Sharing the same sentiment as Mrs. Ha, many people are worried about losing contact with their relatives. A woman repeatedly tried to rush into the scene to save her son but was taken away by the authorities.

Standing among the people witnessing the fire, Mr. Pham Duc Nhan (from Nghe An) who works at the karaoke bar still has not recovered. At about 1:45 pm, when the fire broke out, he and a few employees were serving on the 6th floor. Seeing the thick smoke, he quickly called out to the customers and then with a few employees kicked open the emergency exit door to let the customers escape. A group tried to put out the fire but failed.

"The fire spread quickly, we had no way to put it out, we were so panicked that we had to run. I heard there was another person on the 6th floor who was going to the toilet, I don't know if they managed to get out yet," he said, adding that he did not know exactly how many people escaped because they were quite panicked at that time. There were about 10 people who ran out with Mr. Nhan.

A woman cries when she hears that her loved ones are still trapped inside. Photo: Ba Do.

Mr. Nguyen Van Long, who works at a restaurant near the fire, said that a small fire started from the advertising board of a nearby karaoke bar, and just a few minutes later, it flared up violently because of the strong wind. The fire burned into the room and then spread to the houses next door. He saw customers and employees from the burning karaoke bar running out in panic, no one dared to put out the fire because it spread very quickly. Long and several people working in the bar quickly moved many motorbikes to a safe area.

When the fire broke out on the billboard, many surrounding shops quickly moved their important assets out. A female accountant at a karaoke bar three houses away from the fire said that she was taking inventory when she heard people shouting about a fire. She ran out to see the flames and thick black smoke, so she quickly called the staff to evacuate valuable assets, while she herself carried documents, books, and money to a safe place. Some male staff ran from the first floor to the ninth floor, got fire extinguishers and water, but when they saw the fire was too big, they gave up.

"If the wind changes direction today and the fire spreads in this direction, I don't know what will happen," her voice trembled.

A female accountant at a karaoke bar worries as the fire continues to burn. Photo: PH

At nearly 2 p.m. on November 1, a fire broke out and engulfed at least four houses on Tran Thai Tong Street (Cau Giay), where there are many restaurants and karaoke businesses. Hundreds of firefighters, along with specialized vehicles, ladder trucks, and ambulances, arrived at the scene to put out the fire. Hanoi Party Secretary Hoang Trung Hai and City Police Director Doan Duy Khuong were present at the scene to direct the firefighting forces.

At around 7pm, the fire was basically under control after 5 hours of effort by many forces. The number of victims in the fire has not been determined.

According to VNE