Fire kills 5 in Hanoi: Neighbors recount details of 2 motorbikes catching fire and spewing flames.
Desperate cries for help echoed from inside the house engulfed in flames. Neighbors rushed to break down the door, mobilizing dozens of small fire extinguishers to put out the fire, but all efforts were in vain against the intense heat. The cries for help lasted only a minute before fading away.
Four hours after the fire at house number 9, alley 12, lane 17, street 180 Kim Hoa (Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam ward, Hanoi) was extinguished, a man living about 50 meters from the scene was still in shock, unable to believe the heartbreaking truth that his neighbors' family had perished.
According to this man, at around 5:00 AM on October 11th, many people living in alley 12, lane 17, street 180 Kim Hoa, discovered a fire. He himself quickly ran to the burning house and shouted to alert others.
"I ran to the scene to try to break down the door to rescue the trapped victims, but by then the fire was raging on the first floor, and I couldn't do anything else," the man recounted.
At the same time, Mr. Thanh, whose house was 20 meters away, also rushed out to mobilize everyone to put out the fire. According to Mr. Thanh, the residents had gathered about 30...fire extinguisherMini-sized fire extinguishers were sprayed directly onto the first floor in an attempt to put out the fire. Many others stood on balconies and rooftops of neighboring buildings, desperately throwing buckets and basins of water inside.
However, all efforts were unsuccessful.
"On the first floor, there were two motorbikes and many flammable items, so smoke and flames billowed up and even sprayed outwards. The heat was so intense that we had no choice but to flee," Mr. Thanh said bitterly.
Amidst the chaos, Nguyen Duc Minh, one of the rescuers directly involved, still cannot forget the haunting sounds emanating from the fire.
"I heard someone shouting 'Help me, help me!' But the cries for help only lasted about a minute before going silent," Minh recounted.
According to initial reports, at around 5:00 AM on October 11th, residents discovered intense fire and smoke rising from a four-story house with an attic in a deep alley in Hanoi. Despite residents shouting for help and using available resources to extinguish the fire, they were unsuccessful due to the rapid spread of the flames.
Upon receiving the report, the Hanoi City Police dispatched several fire and rescue teams with more than 30 officers and soldiers and 4 fire trucks to the scene.
Authorities determined that the house, with a floor area of approximately 25 square meters, was located in a narrow alley 300 meters from the main road, making access and firefighting difficult. By the time the forces arrived, the fire had engulfed the entire house, and thick, toxic smoke was billowing out.
Police had to use specialized breathing apparatus to penetrate deep inside to search for trapped people, while simultaneously deploying firefighting teams to extinguish the flames and prevent them from spreading.
By 6:00 AM, the fire was under control and completely extinguished at 6:15 AM. During the search, authorities discovered five deceased victims.
Through search and rescue operations, the Fire and Rescue Police force discovered five deceased victims, including: N.D.L. (born in 1952); HTH (born in 1956); NHM (born in 1982); D.TS (born in 1988) and NMV (born in 2019).
