'Staying calm saved my family'

WATCH CLIP:

6 hours after the fire at the 4-storey house in lane 125 Vinh Phuc street ( Vinh Phuc ward, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi), the whole family of Ms. Phung Thi Minh Tam (40 years old) is still in shock.

Ms. Tam recounted that at around 5am that same day, her son was sleeping on the 3rd floor and discovered a fire so he informed the whole family.

"My husband told me to go downstairs to check, but there was a lot of smoke, I couldn't breathe so I had to go back," said Ms. Tam.

A 4-storey house caught fire in lane 125, Vinh Phuc street.

At this time, Ms. Tam's husband covered his nose and mouth with a towel to avoid breathing in the toxic smoke and quickly took a small child out onto the balcony. Ms. Tam also woke up a sleeping child and evacuated him onto the balcony to avoid the toxic smoke.

Tam and her three children stood outside on the balcony, while her husband went in to take her to the second floor. While on the balcony, people shouted that there was a fire, so the neighbors ran over with a ladder and helped put out the fire.

"The fire was so big that my three children and I climbed over to the balcony on the third floor of the house next door and banged on the door, shouting, 'Let me go, my house is on fire.' I was scared when I climbed over, but I tried to stay calm. After my mother stepped over, the children went over one by one.

When I got down, I was very scared. My belongings were gone and I couldn't save them. But luckily, I was still safe, so I was happy," Ms. Tam shared.

Four family members climbed over to a neighbor's house to escape (Photo: CACC)

Mr. Dao Nguyen Quang (40 years old) said that what saved his whole family was staying calm.

"From the time the fire was discovered until it flared up, it was only about 10-15 minutes. If I didn't stay calm and handle the situation, I wouldn't have been able to escape. I had been trained in fire prevention and fighting skills at the ward People's Committee for several sessions, so I knew I had to use a wet towel to cover my face to find a way out," said Mr. Quang.

The balcony of the house is not equipped with an iron cage, creating favorable conditions for escape.

Mr. Quang also said that his family did not install an iron "tiger cage" outside so there was a way to escape.

"Imagine the burning house like a big furnace, with smoke and fire inside. If there is no balcony to escape and climb to the neighbor's house, it will only take 2-3 minutes to suffocate," Mr. Quang analyzed.

Earlier, at 5:00 a.m. the same day, Ba Dinh District Police received a fire report at a 4-story house located in lane 125, Vinh Phuc street.

All the furniture in the house was burned down.

Immediately afterwards, the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Ba Dinh District Police dispatched 2 fire trucks in coordination with the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Dong Da District Police to the scene to put out the fire.

Police determined that there were 5 people in the house, 4 of whom climbed over the railing of the house next door to escape. An elderly person was assisted by Vinh Phuc Ward Police and local residents to escape using a rope ladder.

Authorities determined that the fire originated in the kitchen area on the first floor of the house. By 5:30 a.m. the same day, the fire was completely extinguished.

According to initial statistics, the fire did not cause any human casualties, property damage is being checked by authorities.

Ba Dinh District Police are currently investigating the cause of the fire.

Source