Install surveillance cameras, 'burned village' still burns

(Baonghean.vn) - After a short period of peace, people in Luan Phuong hamlet, Dong Van commune (Thanh Chuong) continue to worry about the fire that is threatening the locality.

At about 5:30 a.m. on December 5, Luan Phuong neighborhood was in an uproar because of the loudspeaker and alarm bell calling people to go put out the fire at Mrs. Tran Thi Lien's house.

When the fire was discovered, it was already high on the top of the haystack. Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh (72 years old) said: "I got up to exercise, looked over the fence and saw the fire burning on the haystack outside, so I called the villagers to come and put it out."

Thanks to the active and enthusiastic help of the people, after more than 30 minutes, the fire was extinguished, saving the straw outside (near the road), but the straw inside was almost completely burned.

Mrs. Tran Thi Lien is still shocked and scared about the fire this morning.

Ms. Lien said that at around 5am, she got up to do some exercise with some people in the neighborhood. When she returned, she saw everyone gathered at her house to put out the fire. Her house's two haystacks were "built" in the middle of the empty space, close to the house and the cowshed.

Fortunately, the people prevented the fire from spreading to the neighboring buildings. The straw from the winter crop, about 4 sao of straw, cut with a sickle, was almost completely burned. The remaining straw was from the summer-autumn crop, harvested with a combine, and was harder to burn when "built" and chopped, only burning in patches.

The haystack outside was put out in time by the locals so only a little burned.

It is known that Ms. Lien's house is short of people, her husband passed away a long time ago, only the mother and her child live together, there is no conflict with anyone in the neighborhood. Her family raises 2 cows, has 2 straws saved to make food for them. Since the fire, she has been careful, prepared a pump, water hose is always ready next to the straws but still "fire lady" visited.

Local residents said that after the police installed surveillance cameras (early October) at the “hot spots” that frequently caught fire in the neighborhood, the fires subsided, and the haunting fear of the people was somewhat relieved. However, recently, the fires have continued to break out.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Quang's haystack has only concrete piles left after 2 fires.

Previously, on November 15, at 10 p.m., Mr. Nguyen Duy Quang (58 years old) went to close the gate and discovered a fire on the straw in his house. Although the villagers came to rescue him, because of the late discovery, the straw of nearly 6 sao was almost completely burned.

The remaining straw was dried by Mr. Quang and built in the garden of a nearby family, but on the night of December 2, it caught fire again and burned all the straw. According to the people, it is noteworthy that the 3 recent fires all burned in places far from the locations with surveillance cameras.

In the past few months, there have been 24 fires in Luan Phuong hamlet: house fires, cowshed fires, straw houses, straw trees... which not only caused material damage to the people but also caused panic and fear for the people. Since the straw fire at Mr. Quang's house, the people of the "burned hamlet" have continued to lose sleep and appetite because of the fire and always hope that the authorities will soon find the cause of the incident to stabilize their lives.

Huy Thu