Thirteen dead in Ho Chi Minh City apartment fire

By Quynh Chi - Mar 23, 2018 | 03:31 PM GMT+7

TheLEADERAt least 13 people were killed and 28 residents were injured in fire in a residential building complex in Ho Chi Minh City despite being warned previously.

Thirteen dead in Ho Chi Minh City apartment fire
13 people were killed in the fire.

At around 1:15 am on March 23, a fire broke out from the basement parking area located between block A and block B of the Carina Plaza which consists of three 14 - 20 floor blocks, trapping hundreds of people inside.

Smoke from the basement flooded so that hundreds of people on the high floors could not escape while using towels, clothes and flashlights to wave and scream for help. Many of them were forced to jump from their apartments.

According to police, up to 13 people were killed and 28 people were injured in the fire.

“The exit doors were open, leaving smoke to fly up the apartment floors. Most victims were killed by suffocation,” said police.

Dozens of fire trucks were dispatched to the scene. Firefighters mainly focused on handling smoke on the ground floor and saving the people trapped on lower levels first.

It took firefighters more than two hours to bring the blaze under control, at which point hundreds of people had been rescued, with women and children given priority.

Victims of the fire. Photo: Vnexpress

"This blaze has resulted in the worst human and property loss in recent years,” said Vo Van Hoan, Ho Chi Minh City’s chief of staff.

Many survivors said that the fire alarm system did not work when the fire broke out.

The Carina Plaza complex, covering over 19,000 square meters on Vo Van Kiet Street is home to more than 700 households. It was opened in 2009.

Seven hours before the blaze, a meeting between residents and managing board of the complex had been organized to discuss the existing problems in the apartment. In the meeting report posted on the social network Facebook by a Carina’s resident, one of the main concerns is the risk of fire.