Firefighters were exhausted after 5 hours of battling the blaze.

At approximately 5:22 AM on July 8th, the Hanoi City Police Command Information Center received a report of a fire at house number 12, Tho Quan alley (Dong Da district, Hanoi).

Upon receiving the report, the Command Information Center dispatched 6 fire trucks along with dozens of officers and soldiers from the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Dong Da and Hai Ba Trung districts, and the Fire and Rescue Team of Area No. 2 (Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department of Hanoi City Police) to the scene to extinguish the fire.

Black smoke billows from house number 12 in Tho Quan alley (Photo: Phung Vu Thang)

Five minutes later, two fire trucks and rescue vehicles from the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Dong Da District Police arrived at the scene and deployed teams to extinguish the fire and search for trapped people.

Because the area where the fire occurred was a mixed-use building (residential and commercial) providing services (manicures and pedicures), a 6-story, tube-shaped building with an area of ​​approximately 60m2 and a reinforced concrete structure, access and firefighting efforts by the fire department were very difficult.

The windows on the front of the house served as smoke escape points, providing access for firefighting.

The Fire and Rescue Police force deployed 3 mobile air refueling stations along with dozens of oxygen cylinders to ensure firefighters had enough oxygen inside the house.

Corporal Nguyen Duc Anh, a firefighter from the Fire and Rescue Police Team 2 (Fire and Rescue Police Department, Hanoi City Police), said that at the time of the fire, thick black smoke filled the house, and firefighters could only access it for 15 minutes before having to leave to be replaced by others.

Three mobile gas filling stations were deployed to the scene of the fire.

Oxygen cylinders are refilled on-site.

By 7:37 AM the same day, the fire was largely extinguished, however, smoke still lingered inside the house where the fire occurred. Firefighters worked to cool the fire and search for trapped victims. More than three hours later, the first victim was finally brought out by the authorities.

Three bodies of victims from the fire have been brought out.

Initially, authorities identified the three deceased as: NQM (born in 2010), NPU (born in 2012), and DTD (born in 2004). The fire destroyed household items such as the television, refrigerator, and furniture.

During the five hours of firefighting efforts, many firefighters were exhausted, suffered cramps, and even sustained injuries.

Soldier Nguyen Duc Thuan slipped and fell when the staircase collapsed.

Locals provide first aid to injured firefighters.

According to firefighter Nguyen Duc Thuan, the intense heat of the fire caused the stair tiles to peel off and the railing to collapse, so when firefighters stepped onto it, it slipped and they fell.

"Because of the slip, I fell backward, and the oxygen tank, weighing about 10kg, hit my shoulder and back, causing a lot of pain," shared soldier Nguyen Duc Thuan.

Locals fanned and helped firefighters who suffered cramps after battling a fire.

Upon receiving information about the fire, the Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee directed the Hanoi Police to focus on firefighting and rescue operations; and to investigate and clarify the cause of the fire.

At the same time, the Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee directed the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the People's Committee of Dong Da District to urgently visit the families of the victims, organize efforts to mitigate the consequences, and stabilize the morale and lives of the people in the area.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/vu-chay-o-kham-thien-canh-sat-pccc-kiet-suc-sau-5-gio-dap-lua-2163184.html