Choking up at the neighbor's sharing about the Nghe An woman burned by fire while saving the forest

The funeral of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa (born in 1964 in Thung Huyen hamlet), Nam Kim commune, Nam Dan took place at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon (July 1) in the utmost grief of relatives, neighbors and local authorities. She was the one who died in the forest fire while helping people put out the fire in the 10-hour fire in Nam Kim commune, Nam Dan on June 30.

Mrs. Hoa's altar was set up while the fire was still burning. Photo: Quang An

According to neighbors, the couple Hoa and Niem are in a very pitiful situation. Hoa gave birth to 4 children, including the eldest daughter and 3 sons. The family is a farmer, not wanting their children to live in poverty, she and her husband work day and night to earn money to raise their children to study and grow up.

However, disaster struck when she discovered she had heart disease more than 10 years ago. Since then, she has almost lost her ability to work and has only stayed at home. Mr. Niem has been taking care of almost all the big and small things in the family alone.

The scene of mourning at Mrs. Hoa's house. Photo: Quang An

From 2014 until now, after a period of running around and seeking treatment everywhere, Mrs. Hoa's health has shown signs of recovery, the heart disease no longer torments her every night. Along with that, the children have gradually grown up, working abroad to earn money to treat their mother's illness, a new house has been built with the money saved by the 4 children while working far away. The children hope that from now on, their elderly mother will enjoy a more comfortable life after a long time of dealing with illness.

But then, sadness struck on the fateful day of June 30. A forest fire broke out in Nam Kim commune, her second son, Nguyen Dinh Ky, and the locals rushed to put out the fire. Out of love for her son and sympathy for the neighbors who were struggling with the fire, Mrs. Hoa hurriedly prepared drinking water to help everyone.

Mrs. Hoa's funeral this afternoon (July 1) had a lot of people coming to see her off. Photo: Quang An

Mr. Pham Van Nham - Head of the Military Command of Nam Kim commune recounted: Seeing her thin figure carrying a 10-liter can of water up the forest, no one could hold back their emotions.

The painful moment came at 10am on June 30th, the fire suddenly broke out and surrounded Mrs. Hoa. She struggled to escape but was helpless due to her weakness and the steep terrain. When people reached the scene, she was dead.

Mr. Pham Van Duc - hamlet chief of Thung Huyen hamlet, Nam Kim commune, choked up and said: "Mrs. Hoa was a kind and gentle person, loved her children very much, and was always ready to help her neighbors with anything they asked. When we heard that she burned to death while helping to put out a forest fire, we were extremely saddened by this great loss..."

Representatives of several units came to share and encourage Mr. Niem's ​​family. Photo: Trong Hung

At Mrs. Hoa's funeral this afternoon, besides relatives and neighbors, there were also many people from other hamlets in Nam Kim commune, representatives of units came to express condolences and encourage the family.

Organizations and groups have visited and encouraged Mr. Niem's ​​family such as: Nam Dan District People's Committee, District Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Forestry Unit....

The local government highly appreciates and respects Ms. Hoa's work and will actively promote and coordinate to improve fire prevention and fighting skills for people when forest fires occur, so as not to witness more tragic cases in the future.

Mr. Trinh Xuan Hung - Chairman of Nam Kim Commune People's Committee