Firefighters employ a water cannon to combat the fire— VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — A raging fire yesterday engulfed a lumber yard adjacent to Tàu Hủ Canal in District 8, HCM City.

The fire broke out on the evening of April 1 and quickly spread to nearby residential houses, leaving people scrambling to safety and clutching their belongings.

Nguyễn Thị Nghĩa, a 40-year-old resident, acted swiftly. She secured the gas cylinder in her kitchen, fearing an explosion, and gathered essential documents before fleeing with her 10-year-old son.

“The neighbours, who had been drinking near the lumber yard, noticed the flames and sounded the alarm,” she recounted. “I managed to grab crucial papers and escape with my son.”

Thắng, 50, had been watching TV when he heard the alarm. Rushing outside, he witnessed the flame consuming everything in its path.

Despite the efforts of those trying to use fire extinguishers to control the fire, it proved relentless, forcing everyone to flee in panic.

“I couldn’t enter my house to assess the damage,” Thắng said with concern.

HCM City's Fire Prevention and Fighting and Rescue Police Division promptly responded to the emergency. By 8.50 pm, they successfully extinguished the fire.

Damage assessment shows that it ravaged a total area of 470 square metres. Among the casualties were a destroyed house at 206/1/18A and portions of another house at 206/1/18.

The old lumber yard suffered significant damage.

Although there were no reported injuries, the investigation into the cause of the fire remains ongoing. — VNS