The "sparks" are waiting to ignite.
Over the years, numerous fires causing loss of life and property have become a constant source of anxiety for the public. From fires in residential houses, factories, and apartment buildings to horrific conflagrations at karaoke bars and warehouses, risks lurk everywhere.
In this context, local markets – places where large crowds gather, with a wide variety of goods, especially many flammable items such as fabrics, paper, plastics, electrical goods, etc. – become "hot spots" with the highest risk of fire and explosion, particularly during the hot season.
For example, at Vinh Market, despite being a bustling shopping center, there are still many shortcomings in fire prevention and control. According to observations, many areas within the market are in serious disrepair, especially the eastern and western sections. Here, most of the stalls are roofed with old, heat-sensitive fiber cement sheets, causing the temperature inside the stalls to rise and become stifling on hot days.
Inside the textile trading area at the eastern side of the temple, where goods are particularly flammable, encroachment on walkways is common. Regulations require kiosks to be at least 2 meters apart to ensure escape routes, but in reality, the distance between stalls is less than 1 meter.
Not only at Vinh Market but also at other markets in Vinh City, many shortcomings in fire prevention still exist. At Vinh Train Station Market, the electrical wiring is a tangled mess, with makeshift connections from one stall to another, where even a small spark could lead to serious consequences. Around Vinh Train Station Market, many tarpaulins are stretched out by vendors, connecting one stall to another, posing a risk of fire spreading in case of a fire or explosion. In particular, observations show that this market still lacks fire safety equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire alarm systems.
Hung Dung Market is also a bustling shopping area; however, fire safety measures at this market still have many shortcomings. Mr. Le Khac Hau, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Dung Ward, shared: "The market was built a long time ago, and many aspects have seriously deteriorated, such as damaged corrugated iron roofs, patched-up electrical systems, makeshift wiring connections, and the lack of basic fire alarm and firefighting systems. We have repeatedly petitioned higher authorities, but there are no resources available for renovation and repair."
On the 15th and 1st days of the lunar month, the burning of votive paper offerings at market corners continues silently as a long-standing habit, despite prohibition signs and warnings from management. These seemingly minor actions are contributing to simmering dangers, pushing crowded markets into a state of constant threat of disaster at any moment.
Strictly implement fire prevention measures.
In early 2024, a large fire broke out at Duoc Market in Hung Chinh commune, Vinh City. Although there were no casualties, many goods, including items for the Lunar New Year, were completely destroyed, causing significant losses for the vendors. It is known that these were stalls selling fabric and paper offerings, items that are particularly flammable, and the fire spread to neighboring stalls.
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Previously, there have been other fires causing significant damage, such as the Hung Dung market fire in July 2019 or the Vinh market fire in December 2018 - this was a major fire that completely destroyed all goods stocked for sale during Tet (Lunar New Year) such as confectionery and household goods, causing traders to suffer losses of approximately 6 billion VND, and many traders lost their Tet holiday that year.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Dac, Head of the Vinh Market Management Board, a market that has experienced numerous fires, stated that to proactively prevent fires, the Board regularly issues warnings through its internal loudspeaker system and requires business owners to sign commitments to strictly comply with fire safety regulations. Simultaneously, the Board's personnel also intensify inspections of the market's electrical system and generators to ensure stable operation and prevent short circuits and fires. Currently, Vinh Market is equipped with six water tanks with a total capacity of approximately 1,200 cubic meters, ready for use in any emergency situation.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Huan, Chairman of the Ben Thuy Ward People's Committee, said: Ben Thuy Market, also known as Vinh University Market, has a large number of buyers and sellers. Therefore, fire prevention is always a top priority for the local authorities, especially during the hot season when electricity demand increases dramatically. For cases where traders encroach on common walkways to display goods or use unsafe electrical equipment, we will direct the Market Management Board to conduct inspections and handle them according to regulations.
According to statistics from the Nghe An Department of Industry and Trade, the province currently has 371 large and small local markets in operation, scattered across most areas from urban centers to rural and mountainous regions. Of these, the majority were built decades ago, with outdated and severely degraded infrastructure, posing a significant risk of fire and explosions.
Therefore, fire prevention and control at local markets is an urgent requirement that needs to be given due attention by both state management agencies and local authorities. In the context of increasingly extreme weather conditions, prolonged heatwaves, and consistently high traffic density at markets, investing in and upgrading fire prevention and control systems, organizing fire drills, and raising awareness among traders need to be implemented comprehensively, practically, and effectively.
Source: https://baonghean.vn/ba-hoa-chuc-cho-tai-cho-dan-sinh-10298676.html
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