Firefighters tackle the blaze at the karaoke bar. — VNA/VNS Photo Huyền Trang

BÌNH DƯƠNG — The owner of a karaoke bar where 33 people died after a fire broke out has been arrested.

Lê Anh Xuân, 42, from Thủ Đức City, HCM City, is being investigated by Bình Dương People’s Procuracy for “Violation of regulations on fire prevention and fighting” as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 313 of the Penal Code.

An electrical fault is thought to have caused the fire at the An Phú Karaoke Bar in An Phú Ward, Thuận An City, Bình Dương Province on September 6.

Although 22 people managed to escape the burning building, 32 lost their lives in the fire. Another person died a few days later as a result of injuries sustained from jumping out of a window.

It's the deadliest karaoke fire in Việt Nam to date.

The An Phú karaoke bar, located at An Phú Ward, Thuận An City, Bình Dương Province, was a 30-room karaoke venue built on an area of 500 square metres. It opened six years ago and has been inspected for fire safety three times, in 2019, 2021 and 2022. It passed every time.

However, in the most recent inspection in April 2022, the authorities noted a risk of an electrical short circuit due to the high electricity consumption and ordered it be remedied.

However, the karaoke bar failed to implement the order. — VNS