'Red alert' for fire and explosion risk in Nghe An.
(Baonghean) - In the first days of July, in addition to the consecutive forest fires, the province also experienced many fires that destroyed houses, markets, and businesses, causing serious consequences.
A series of fires have occurred.
Most recently, on the night of July 8th, a wedding photography studio on Tran Phu Street suddenly caught fire. Firefighters had to work very hard to control the blaze and prevent it from spreading to other buildings.
On the afternoon of July 5th, traders at Hung Dung market were thrown into chaos when a grocery stall caught fire. It took four hours, with the intervention of professional firefighters and the assistance of local residents, to extinguish the blaze. While there were no casualties, the traders lost billions of dong.
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| Numerous fires have occurred recently at markets, hotels, and residential buildings. (Photo: Archival image) |
Earlier, on the morning of July 4th, a fire broke out in the wood drying area of the Song Hieu Forestry Processing Enterprise in Hoa Hieu ward (Thai Hoa town). The fire originated in a wood drying kiln and spread to other areas, burning fiercely. Firefighting Team No. 3 (Thai Hoa Town Police), the Town Military Command, and the K12 warehouse unit mobilized hundreds of officers and soldiers and 3 professional fire trucks to the scene to coordinate with local residents in extinguishing the fire. After more than an hour, the fire was extinguished...
According to statistics from the Nghe An Fire Prevention and Fighting Force, from the beginning of 2019 to the present, Vinh City has experienced 30 incidents, resulting in 1 death and property damage of approximately 6.71 billion VND. Across the entire province, in the first six months of the year, there were 211 fire and explosion incidents. Of these, 31 incidents occurred in civilian areas, resulting in 1 death and 6.71 billion VND in damage; 71 incidents involved forest fires and vegetation fires, resulting in 1 death and the destruction of hundreds of hectares of forest; and 109 incidents involved fires affecting electrical systems, landfills, and residential houses.
Many potential risks exist.
According to the analysis by the Nghe An Provincial Police, besides the main causes of forest fires being prolonged hot weather, strong southwest winds, and dry vegetation that easily catches fire, the main causes of fires are electrical short circuits (72%); violations of regulations when using heat and fire sources (19%), and other causes (9%).
The risk of fire and explosions in Vinh City remains extremely complex, especially in densely populated residential areas, markets, and commercial centers. According to a survey by reporters, there is still a lack of uniformity in the management of markets under the jurisdiction of ward and commune People's Committees; some markets lack management boards, leading to a lack of attention to fire prevention and control. Some markets are dilapidated and do not meet fire safety standards, such as Quang Trung Market, Cua Bac Market, and Quan Lau Market.
In particular, the chaotic stockpiling of goods in market stalls, encroaching on fire escape routes, and the accumulation of flammable and explosive goods are common occurrences in markets throughout the city, especially Vinh Market.
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| The closely packed stalls and makeshift tents pose a significant fire hazard at Vinh Market. Photo: Lam Tung |
Firefighting teams at some facilities lack the skills to operate and use the fire prevention and firefighting equipment provided; the awareness of fire safety regulations among some residents in apartment buildings is still low, specifically: These facilities have all been inspected and approved before being put into operation, however, during use, some residents have used bricks, stones, and furniture to block or open the emergency stairwell doors, rendering them ineffective in preventing smoke and blocking the escape routes in some apartment buildings...
There is still a situation where food stalls (using gas or charcoal stoves for cooking) are located near business areas, failing to ensure safe fire prevention and control distances… The organization of on-site fire fighting drills remains largely superficial and merely a formality.
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| The passageways in the emergency stairwells of some apartment buildings are being encroached upon by households storing household items, making the already narrow passages even narrower. Photo: Lam Tung |
Some establishments that have converted their function and nature of use from residential to commercial purposes such as restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, and karaoke venues are subject to fire safety design review as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 15 of Decree No. 79/2014/ND-CP, but they have failed to implement or are unable to implement the conditions for ensuring fire safety, such as: inability to renovate or add escape routes, or not having been granted permission by the competent authority to convert the function, thus lacking the necessary procedures to submit the fire safety design review dossier...
To prevent fire and explosion incidents during the hot season in Vinh City, the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police force advises: Residents should regularly check and repair electrical sources, and all flammable materials must be kept at least 0.5m away from electrical sources.
In residential areas with many makeshift shelters, cooking with charcoal or wood stoves should not be done indoors and must be kept away from other flammable materials. People should use electricity at the lowest possible level to avoid short circuits due to overload.
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| Nguyen Xien Street, near Vinh Market, is a high-risk area for furniture businesses due to the wood industry. Photo: Van Truong |
Households, companies, and factories must absolutely not store hazardous materials that cause fires or explosions (such as gasoline, oil, and mini gas cylinders). For businesses selling flammable goods (clothing, mattresses, blankets), products must be stored away from sources of fire, heat, and electricity, and a necessary escape route must be provided. Electrical systems must be installed and used correctly.
In the first six months of the year, the province experienced 31 civil fires, 71 forest fires, and 109 fires involving electrical systems, landfills, and residential houses. Of these, the main cause of fires and explosions was electrical short circuits (accounting for 72%).