Fear of Muong Xen market fire

(Baonghean.vn) -Muong Xen Market in Ky Son District has had 3 fires, causing huge losses to the state and private sector. However, even though the market has been invested in and built solidly, the fear of market fires still exists. The reason is understandable because the fire prevention system seems to be inadequate.

In the past, Muong Xen market had three fires, causing considerable damage to the property of some traders doing business at the market.

Mr. Nguyen Van Huong - Chairman of Muong Xen Town People's Committee, said: Muong Xen Market has been around since 2003, and there have been three fires. The first time was in 2005, the second time was in 2011, and the third time was on the night of November 23. But the third time, Mr. Huong confirmed that some kiosks outside the market area were on fire. However, those burned kiosks were still located within the market premises, so they were managed by the Market Management Board.

When we mentioned the current fire prevention and fighting work at Muong Xen market, Mr. Huong was concerned because the entire fire prevention and fighting system at the market had not been handed over to the Market Management Board by the investor, the District Department of Industry and Trade. It could be because the market has been in use for 1 year, but some items, such as the surrounding wall, the toilet area... are still under construction, so they have not been handed over! Mr. Huong also heard that the water tank for fire fighting work was cracked, leading to water leakage! Therefore, the most worrying thing is that traders are careless when burning incense, or have an electrical short circuit... if a market fire occurs, it will be very difficult to put out the fire. It has been more than a month since the market fire occurred, but the authorities have not yet investigated the cause, so the traders who suffered losses have not yet received compensation or support from any agency or level.

Some people say that the gas station “Ky Son Trade Center” is located next to Muong Xen market, if a fire breaks out at the market, the consequences will be very serious if the fire spreads to the gas station? According to Mr. Huong, the gas station was built in front of Muong Xen market, so it is very difficult to handle. Faced with such a situation, some people think that the authorities need to build a fence between the market and the gas station, if a fire breaks out at the market, the fire will not affect the gas station. Faced with such concerns of the people, the local government also needs to have a solution.

Four business kiosks in the area outside Muong Xen market burned down on the evening of November 23.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Luong - Head of Muong Xen Market Management Board, said: The recent market fire, which occurred at 1am on November 23, burned down 4 kiosks. Those kiosks were registered grocery stores, causing an estimated loss of 120 million VND. The cause of the fire is unknown, it could have been caused by traders burning incense, personal grudges, or by mentally ill people... because that row of kiosks was outside the market hall so there was no electricity, so the cause of an electrical short circuit was impossible.

He took us around the market to “witness” the fire protection system that was “covered up” in the warehouse. In the warehouse where the fire protection system was stored in front of the market gate, there were fire extinguishers, water sprinklers… but according to Mr. Luong, they had not been handed over to any agency so the market management board could not use them. Leading me to the water tank area built close to the wall in front of the market gate, Mr. Luong stepped onto the water tank and said that this tank could hold 40 m³water, but unfortunately, before it was used, the bottom of the tank cracked, and could not store a single drop of water. The Market Management Board opened the valve many times to fill the tank, but after only one day and night, it was all gone because the bottom of the tank was cracked. Mr. Luong could only shake his head, because all the equipment and fire prevention and fighting system had not been issued or handed over to any department. Suppose a fire broke out in the market, the only way left was to mobilize private traders to use buckets to carry water.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Luong - Head of Muong Xen Market Management Board said that the market's fire prevention equipment has been there for a long time, but has not been handed over by any authority so it cannot be used.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh - the owner of a business at Muong Xen market whose kiosk was burned down on the evening of November 23, sadly said: That night, when we heard the news of the market fire, my husband and I rushed to the scene and found that our two kiosks had been burned down, and we couldn't salvage anything. When asked why we didn't go into the market hall to do business? Ms. Binh said that because the kiosk was registered inside the market hall, it was cramped, while there were many goods, so it was easier to sell outside. - So do we have to pay money to the Market Management Board every month? - Yes, all contributions are paid in full like in the hall. Therefore, at night, we close the kiosk and hand it over to the Market Management Board to manage and protect.

Muong Xen market, the shopping center of Ky Son district, is always in a state of fire danger.

Mrs. Phan Thi Thuan, a business owner since the Muong Xen market was established, worries: I have witnessed 3 fires at Muong Xen market, the first and second of which she suffered losses due to a kiosk fire. Trading like this all day, at night I feel uneasy because I am afraid of a market fire. The fear of a market fire haunts every person who is trading at Muong Xen market, especially for those who sell flammable goods in the market hall. They are right to worry, because all their capital is invested in goods, if they are careless in a moment they will be left empty-handed.

Muong Xen market is the center of trade and supply of goods in Ky Son district, so local authorities need to pay attention to fire prevention and fighting. The wish of traders at Muong Xen market is that authorities need to soon have an effective on-site fire prevention and fighting plan so that they can feel secure in their business.

Xuan Hoang