HCM CITY – Two fires broke out in residential houses in HCM City and Đồng Nai Province on Sunday, destroying furniture and leaving one resident dead.  

The first fire occurred at around 10pm in a four-storey residential property on Bạch Đăng Road, Bình Thạnh District in HCM City. The fire destroyed a large amount of furniture in the dwelling, but the several occupants were able to escape.  

Sixty-eight fire-fighting policemen and six trucks were mobilised to the scene after the alarm was raised by neighbours.

Fire-fighters wearing masks approached the burning house and helped to evacuate an elderly resident, a 10-year-old child and another living in the vicinity.

Police officers used lifts to save three others from the windows of the burning house.

The elderly resident was taken for treatment at a local hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation and minor burns. The fire was extinguished after 20 minutes.  

Head of Bình Thạnh District’s fire-fighting police office, Colonel Nguyễn Văn Quyên, said initial investigations have revealed the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault.

The second case occurred at around 6am at a house in Vĩnh Cửu District, Đồng Nai Province, killing a 5-year-old child who was at home alone while their parents went out to work.

The fire spread quickly through the house despite efforts by local residents to stamp out the blaze.

Chairman of Thiên Tân Commune People’s Committee, Thái Mã Thành confirmed the death caused by the fire, saying local authorities were assisting the victim’s family and investing the cause of the accident. —VNS