Knowing there are people but can't do anything

On the morning of May 13th, a fire broke out at 24 Thanh Cong Street (Quang Trung Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi ), resulting in the deaths of four family members, including a grandmother and her three grandchildren.

Living about 100 meters from the burning house and being one of the first people to witness the event, Mrs. K. is still in shock.

“The fire broke out around 7:44 a.m. I was at the entrance of the alley when I saw thick black smoke billowing from house number 24. People shouted to each other to run in and help, but the bright red flames were shooting outwards, making all attempts to get close to the fire unsuccessful,” Mrs. K. recounted.

The moment the fire engulfed the four-story house (Photo: Xuan Hoa)

People are still reeling from what they witnessed.

Ms. K. also said that when they saw the bright red flames erupting and thick black smoke billowing from the first floor to the upper floors, everyone panicked. Many people called 114 and 113 to notify the police to come to their rescue.

"Initially, smoke was only coming from the first floor of the house, but it spread very quickly upwards, then the windows shattered with an explosion," Ms. K. said.

Mr. N., who lives 30 meters from the burning house, said that when he heard people shouting, he immediately ran towards the burning house. At that time, the fire was raging on the second floor, and everyone was calling out to see if anyone had a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.

"When we realized there were people still trapped inside, we were very confused, but there was nothing else we could do," Mr. N shared.

Earlier, at 7:44 AM, the Hanoi City Police Command Information Center received a report of a house fire on Thanh Cong Street (Quang Trung Ward, Ha Dong District).

Upon receiving the report, the Command Information Center dispatched 4 fire trucks from the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Ha Dong District and the Fire and Rescue Team of Area No. 4, along with dozens of officers and soldiers, to the scene to extinguish the fire.

By 7:49 AM the same day, units had reached the scene, searched for and rescued victims, and deployed firefighting efforts. After nearly 20 minutes, the fire was largely extinguished.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire (Photo: Hanoi City Police)

Authorities have identified the homeowner as Mr. NQM (born in 1980) and his wife as Ms. NTH (born in 1984). The house where the fire occurred is 50 square meters in size, with three floors and a rooftop extension.

The fire resulted in the deaths of four people: Ms. NTKX (born in 1956, mother of Mr. NQM), NMP (born in 2013), NMD (born in 2015), and NQMH (born in 2019), all children of the homeowner. Mr. NQM suffered burns to both hands and was taken to Military Hospital 103 for emergency treatment.

Initial findings indicate the fire originated on the first floor of the house.

According to observations at the scene, law enforcement officers have cordoned off the Thanh Cong street area to facilitate the investigation.

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