Four grandmother and grandchildren died in a house fire

Hanoi A three-story house on Thanh Cong Street, Ha Dong District, caught fire, killing four people and injuring one person on the morning of May 13.

At around 7:45 a.m., the fire spread from the first floor throughout the high-rise building, about 40 square meters in size, located in the middle of Thanh Cong Street, Quang Trung Ward, Ha Dong District. There were four grandmothers and grandchildren in the house, and the homeowner and his wife were away.

Discovering smoke coming from the first floor roller shutter, people nearby broke open the door, used a mini fire extinguisher to rush into the first floor to put out the fire, and threw a fire-prevention device. The homeowner, Mr. Nguyen Quang Minh (43 years old), returned from buying breakfast and tried to save his mother and three children but was unsuccessful.

The house is designed in a tube style, so that one can escape from the front door or go to the attic with a corrugated iron roof to the neighbor's house. However, the fire on the first floor is very strong. The balconies on the 2nd and 3rd floors are fenced with anti-theft iron frames.

A four-story house on Thanh Cong Street caught fire on the morning of May 13. Photo: Xuan Hoa — A four-story house on Thanh Cong Street caught fire on the morning of May 13. Photo: *Xuan Hoa*

At around 7:50, four fire trucks and dozens of firefighters arrived at the scene. Because Thanh Cong Street is only about 3 meters wide, the fire trucks had to stop at Quang Trung Street and Dong Dua area, 50-100 meters from the burning house, to direct the water hose in.

At this time, the red column of fire had escaped to the balcony of the second and third floors, the column of smoke was tens of meters high. The police sprayed water and cut the iron frame of the second floor to reach the inside of the house. By 8:15, the fire was extinguished.

After 9:00 a.m., the bodies of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Xuyen (67 years old), her children Nguyen Minh Phuc (10 years old), Nguyen Quang Minh Duc (8 years old) and Nguyen Quang Minh Hien (4 years old) were taken out and transferred to the morgue of Ha Dong General Hospital, about 800 meters from the scene.

Mr. Minh suffered burns on both hands and was treated at Military Hospital 103. Mr. Minh's wife was on duty at the hospital. Hearing the news, she ran home and collapsed in front of the burning house.

On the first floor, furniture was burned, stairs were deformed, and walls were peeling. Photo: Gia Chinh — On the first floor, furniture was burned, stairs were deformed, and walls were peeling. Photo: *Gia Chinh*

After the fire, the motorbike on the first floor and the furniture on the other floors were burned down. The walls and ceiling were peeling off. The police are currently cordoning off and examining the house to investigate the cause.

Thanh Cong Street is about 300 meters long and as wide as a small alley. Most of the houses here are tube-shaped and have only one frontage.

A day ago, a tube-style bar in Ngo Quyen district, Hai Phong city caught fire, killing three female employees.