Investors of apartment buildings in Hà Nội who fail or defer to follow regulations on fire prevention would face legal proceedings, a municipal People’s Committee meeting heard yesterday. — Photo plo.vn

HÀ NỘI — Investors of apartment buildings in Hà Nội who fail or defer to follow regulations on fire prevention would face legal proceedings, a municipal People’s Committee meeting heard yesterday.

Deputy chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Nguyễn Văn Sửu said 14 out of 29 apartment buildings which failed tests and control requirements must solve the problems by the end of the month.

And if they don’t, he warned that the People’s Committee would consider legal proceedings to prosecute investors.

He criticised the Department of Construction for not installing fire hydrants in the second half of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, especially as the city was reportedly missing more than 3,400 hydrants, 600 in key areas.

According to the city’s fire police, there were 820 reported fires in Hà Nội last year, resulting in 21 deaths and causing more than VNĐ300 billion (US$13.3 million) of damage.

Though the number of fires went down by 11 compared to 2016, the death toll rose by one and damages increased by more than VNĐ100 billion.

According to the police, there were five major incidents and 13 others which caused severe consequences, both in terms of death toll and asset losses.

Some 526 cases, or 64 per cent of the total fires in Hà Nội last year were caused by electrical faults, while negligence triggered another 176 cases.

There were 20 cases of fire from faulty machinery and 13 caused by welding.

The causes of another 10 per cent of the fires are still under investigation. — VNS