Rescue work at the scene of the fire in Định Công Ward in Hà Nội on June 16. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has issued an official dispatch to direct all ministries, branches and localities to focus on dealing with the consequences of two consecutive fatal house fires, which killed seven, including four children, over the weekend.

He asked ministries, people’s committees and relevant agencies to implement effective prevention measures and come up with ways to contain and prevent fires, as well as teaching people how to escape, following the deadly blazes in Hà Nội and Bắc Giang Province.

The fires occurred in Hà Nội’s Định Công Ward in Hoàng Mai District, where four died, three of them children and Bắc Giang Province’s Đa Mai Ward, which killed three, including an eight year old girl.

The dispatch (No. 59/CĐ-TTg on 17/6/2024) was sent to ministers, heads of ministerial and Government level agencies and people's committees’ chairmen of Hà Nội, Bắc Giang and all provinces and centrally-run cities.

It stressed that only recently the Government and the Prime Minister issued directives to stress the significance of fire prevention, fire fighting and making residential buildings safe, but on June 16, the two serious fires claimed another seven lives.

On behalf of the Government, the Prime Minister sent sincere condolences to the relatives and families of the victims and gave instructions to people’s committees and relevant agencies.

The people's committees of Hà Nội and Bắc Giang Province visited the scenes of the fires to offer encouragement and material and spiritual support for the victims' families. They also began work with the Ministry of Public Security to direct functional forces on how to overcome the consequences of the deadly blazes and as a matter of urgency, investigate to establish who was responsible, handling violations (if any) according to the provisions of law.

The Ministry of Public Security is responsible for presiding over and coordinating with relevant ministries, sectors, agencies, and the people's committees of centrally-run cities and provinces to continue to seriously, decisively, effectively and substantively implement the Government's and Prime Minister's directives on fire prevention and fire-fighting operations.

The ministry has to review, classify and immediately implement effective fire prevention and fire controls in rental housing, especially multi-storey, multi-apartment buildings and strictly handle any violations according to the law.

Additionally, efforts should be intensified to guide fire prevention measures and teach rescue and escape skills to people living in high risk areas.

The relevant agencies are urgently tasked with drafting and submitting to the Prime Minister a directive on effectively preventing and controlling fires in such areas, particularly in multi-storey, multi-apartment buildings, rental housing, residential-commercial combined buildings and how to better ensure the safety of electrical devices, before July 15.

The Prime Minister requires strict accountability for local party and government leaders if high-risk establishments operate without ensuring fire safety conditions, or if fires and explosions occur to a lack of leadership, inspection or full responsibility within their management scope for fire prevention, fighting and rescue work.

The Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Education and Training are to co-ordinate with the people's committees of centrally-run cities and provinces to enhance fire and explosion risk warnings, especially on hot days, and continue to raise knowledge and skills for students and children during the summer holidays.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade and local people's committees must require the electricity sector to assign officers to visit every house to inspect and guide people on safe electricity usage, rectify improper and unsafe systems, to reduce the probability of electrical fires and explosions.

The Government Office and the Ministry of Public Security are to regularly monitor, urge and promptly report to the Prime Minister on the situation and results of the implementation of this dispatch.

Hà Nội support victims’ families

On June 16, Nguyễn Thị Tuyến, permanent deputy secretary of the Hà Nội Party Committee visited to offer condolences and support to the victims' families of the fire at the residential house, in which four people perished.

Specifically, the city provided support of VNĐ50 million (US$2,200) per deceased person and VNĐ30 million ($1,200) per injured person, while the city's Việt Nam Fatherland Front supported the victims' families with VNĐ20 million ($800).

On the same day, leaders of Hoàng Mai District visited and handed over VNĐ88 million ($3,500) and an additional VNĐ10 million ($400) to the victims' families. The district's Việt Nam Fatherland Front also offered support of VNĐ20 million.

Other political and social organisations in the district supported the victims' families with VNĐ25 million ($1,000), the district Department of Education and Training, with VNĐ50 million ($2,000) and the district Red Cross, VNĐ35 million ($1,400). — VNS