Firefighting and rescue drill in downtown Ho Chi Minh City

On October 24, the Fire Prevention, Fire Fighting and Rescue Police Department (PC07) - Ho Chi Minh City Police organized a large-scale fire fighting and rescue drill at the Plaza building (Le Duan Street, Saigon Ward).

Fire police mobilized a large amount of equipment and vehicles to participate in the drill. Photo: PC07 provided.

According to the hypothetical situation, at around 9am, in the basement of the parking area, an electrical short circuit occurred, fuel leaked, causing an explosion and fire. The fire quickly spread to adjacent vehicles, creating a large fire with a lot of smoke and toxic gas.

At the same time, an acetylene gas tank exploded on the second floor of the hotel, causing part of the building to collapse, injuring and trapping many workers. On the sixth floor of the office block, an electrical short circuit ignited curtains and flammable materials, causing smoke to spread into the hallway, causing panic among thousands of people.

Firefighters spray water to put out the fire. Photo: Provided by PC07.

The grassroots force activated the fire alarm, provided evacuation instructions, and used fire extinguishers and wall systems to initially put out the fire, helping 3,000 people move to safety.

After only 15 minutes, PC07 forces and professional teams arrived, deploying 99 vehicles and nearly 200 officers and soldiers to coordinate the attacks. High-pressure water jets were deployed simultaneously, forming a giant water curtain covering the fire area, isolating the heat source and completely extinguishing the fire.

Rehearsal for transporting injured people on specialized rescue stretchers from high floors to the ground. Photo: PC07 provided.

The exercise aims to assess command and coordination capabilities, deploy firefighting and rescue tactics in complex urban environments, and improve emergency response skills for grassroots forces and people working in high-rise buildings.

According to the plan, PC07 Ho Chi Minh City Police will organize the largest firefighting and rescue drill of 2025 at Phuoc Thien Residential Area and Park - Vinhomes Grand Park Project on November 14, 2025.

According to the scenario, the drill will mobilize more than 3,000 people and 99 special vehicles to participate in firefighting and rescue in a simulated fire and explosion situation at the base of 5 high-rise apartment buildings in the area.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/dien-tap-chua-chay-cuu-nan-tai-trung-tam-thanh-pho-ho-chi-minh-720771.html