Injured firefighting sergeant recounts being ready to sacrifice himself to save people in a mini apartment building

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - During the night of the rescue operation at the mini-apartment building at alley 29/70 Khuong Ha, 20-year-old Corporal Quoc Trung was haunted by the sight of people jumping down right before his eyes, including a 4-year-old child.

Three days after being discharged from the hospital, Corporal Nguyen Quoc Trung (20 years old, Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Thanh Xuan District Police, Hanoi ) officially returned to work. After nearly 10 days of treatment at Bach Mai Hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning, his health is now stable.

During the team's morning briefing at the beginning of the week, Trung and his teammates met to review the fire at the mini-apartment building at alley 29/70 Khuong Ha (Khuong Dinh ward, Thanh Xuan district) and propose more effective solutions for similar unfortunate incidents in the future.

"I've never seen a fire so terrible and haunting," Trung said, his voice choked with emotion as he recalled the horrific memories of the night of September 12th.

Corporal Nguyen Quoc Trung, 20 years old, Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Thanh Xuan District Police, Hanoi (Photo: Minh Nhan).

Racing against the fire until exhaustion.

At 11:23 PM on September 12th, the alarm sounded at the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Thanh Xuan District Police. The report indicated a fire in a mini-apartment building in alley 29, Khuong Ha Street, with suspicions that many people were trapped.

Trung and his teammates were asleep, but they quickly woke up, prepared their uniforms and equipment, and jumped into two fire trucks. After about 3-5 minutes, the unit's vehicles arrived at the scene, "it wasn't just a simple fire," Trung recalled.

The alley was deep and narrow, the ground floor of the building was used for motorbike parking, and professional experience told the entire fire brigade that tonight's fire would be serious. As predicted, the fire trucks had to park nearly 400 meters from the scene. More than 100 firefighters from the Ministry of Public Security's Firefighting Force, the Firefighting Police University, and the Hanoi City Police Department carried their equipment and ran from the street into the alley.

The Thanh Xuan district team split into two groups awaiting orders: one for rescue and one for firefighting. Trung was in the rescue team, wearing a breathing apparatus, gas mask, and other equipment, leading the way to the scene.

While the rescue team moves forward, the firefighting team coordinates to cool down and reduce the heat so that their teammates can enter the scene.

A massive fire engulfed the nine-story mini-apartment building, accompanied by the sound of exploding batteries. Dozens of motorbikes parked on the first floor were destroyed, and rescue forces struggled to locate the stairwells leading to the upper floors.

With flames billowing up to the upper floors and the approach to the stairwell encountering thick smoke and intense heat, the police were forced to switch to an external rescue plan.

Firefighters and medical personnel evacuate injured victims from the scene on the night of September 12 (Photo: Nguyen Hai - Tran Thanh).

As Trung and his teammates began the rescue operation, several victims jumped from the upper floors to the ground. This was the most haunting moment for the 20-year-old corporal, as four people jumped in quick succession right before his eyes, including a 4-year-old child.

The sudden jumps left Trung motionless for a moment. "I've participated in many rescue operations, but this is the first time I've witnessed such a heartbreaking scene. Standing on the brink of life and death, and in a state of panic, they chose to jump," Trung recounted.

The firefighter frantically shouted at residents not to jump, while simultaneously calling on people nearby to help by stacking about 40-50 mattresses and blankets on top of each other, in case other victims jumped. Meanwhile, he and his teammates carried the injured and deceased out to the ambulances.

From 1:30 AM, the fire was basically under control, and the rescue team began moving with hoses up to the upper floors of the mini-apartment building to rescue people. For smaller victims, Trung would carry them out, while for adults who were too weak to move, two firefighters would work together. They would wrap the victims in blankets, lowering them down to the ambulance.

"We scanned the area, clearly feeling the intense heat deep within the scene," Trung recounted, describing how in just 1-2 minutes, breathing became increasingly heavy, easily causing dizziness for those unaccustomed to it, but he managed to withstand the pressure.

The forces are divided into groups of three, taking turns entering and leaving the scene in shifts. Each shift lasts 15-20 minutes, with the longest being 30 minutes. "Many soldiers are enthusiastic; no matter how tired they are, they still try to maintain their work so that other teammates can rest longer," Trung said.

Emergency treatment after a 4-hour battle with the blaze.

At 3:30 AM, after completing the rescue operation on the third floor, Corporal Quoc Trung went to the vehicle to rest while waiting for reinforcements. He sat down and felt dizzy, short of breath, had pain in his left chest, and his limbs were cramping.

His teammates noticed he was exhausted and quickly called medical personnel. However, after some first aid, he showed no signs of improvement and was transferred to Bach Mai Hospital for emergency treatment. The remaining rescue forces continued their work until 7:30 AM, waiting for other teams to arrive at the apartment building to extinguish the debris.

Leaders of the Hanoi City Police visited and encouraged Corporal Nguyen Quoc Trung on September 17 (Photo: Hanoi Police).

At Bach Mai Hospital, Trung had blood tests and received intravenous fluids. Doctors concluded that he had carbon monoxide poisoning and sinusitis. He was admitted for treatment, sharing a room with four other victims who were residents of the mini-apartment building.

"I've had several minor injuries at work before, but this is the first time I've had to be hospitalized," he said.

Upon receiving a phone call informing her that her son was in the emergency room, Mrs. Doan Thi Hoan (55 years old) rushed from her hometown of Van Dinh (Ung Hoa district, Hanoi) straight to Bach Mai Hospital. Seeing Trung lying on the hospital bed, his face dark and bruised, she felt both sad and heartbroken for her son.

Since Trung joined the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Thanh Xuan District Police, whenever she saw a fire truck on the road, Mrs. Hoan would worry, wondering if her son was involved in firefighting, and would call to check on him. But she never imagined that one day her son would be injured and hospitalized.

Every day, Mrs. Hoan travels from her home in Nguyen Xien to Bach Mai Hospital to care for her child, regularly going in the morning and returning in the evening. Not wanting his mother to stay overnight at the hospital, Trung repeatedly urged her to go home and sleep there.

Firefighters approached the scene from the adjacent house, rescuing victims trapped on the night of September 12 (Photo: Tran Thanh).

Associate Professor Dr. Dao Xuan Co, Director of Bach Mai Hospital, said that upon receiving the information and determining it to be a catastrophic emergency, the hospital's Board of Directors immediately directed the reinforcement of personnel and emergency teams on the night of September 12th, coordinating with specialties such as intensive care, toxicology, and trauma to ensure the best possible treatment for the patients.

"The hospital is focusing all its resources on treating and caring for the victims as if they were its own family members," Associate Professor Dr. Dao Xuan Co instructed.

Sharing information about the case of the firefighter hospitalized along with the victims, Dr. Le Quang Thuan, Deputy Director of the Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital, said that patient Nguyen Quoc Trung was transferred to the Poison Control Center at 3:44 AM on September 13th in a conscious state, able to communicate but very tired and exhausted, requiring assistance from others.

"The patient had a sore throat, dizziness, muscle spasms in the limbs, and the whole body appeared black and smoky. After endoscopic examination of the ear, nose, and throat, we discovered that the patient had acute rhinosinusitis on a background of chronic sinusitis," said Dr. Thuan.

According to the doctors, Trung underwent daily hospital-wide consultations immediately after admission, and was prescribed advanced interventions such as bronchoscopy, chest CT scan, brain MRI, and mental status assessment…

In addition, he was treated based on a diagnosis of inhaling toxic fumes from the fire; he received intensive treatment according to protocol, including antibiotics, symptomatic treatment, respiratory rehabilitation, and other support.

After much care from medical staff, most patients' health has stabilized. Following examinations and consultations, 10 cases were deemed eligible for discharge on the afternoon of September 22nd, including Corporal Nguyen Quoc Trung.

"The patient's condition is stable, he has been discharged for outpatient treatment and will have a follow-up appointment as scheduled," Associate Professor Dr. Vu Van Giap, Deputy Director in charge of professional affairs at Bach Mai Hospital, shared during the farewell ceremony for the patients.

Upon learning that Trung was both a firefighter and a discharged patient, many residents of the mini-apartment building approached him to shake his hand and thank him, while also conveying their gratitude to the Fire and Rescue Police Team of Thanh Xuan District Police and other forces.

"This is not just my achievement, but the achievement of the entire team and the whole force," he said.

Corporal Nguyen Quoc Trung at his unit, morning of September 25 (Photo: Minh Nhan).

"As a firefighter, I am ready to sacrifice myself."

During his time in the hospital, Trung saw information about the apartment building fire appearing on every media platform.

The devastating fire resulted in 56 deaths and 37 injuries. The Hanoi Police Investigation Agency announced that the cause of the fire was a "short circuit in the electrical wiring near the battery" located at the front of the scooter.

According to the inspection results, the fire spread from the scooter to the electrical cables and meter boxes installed on the first-floor wall. After the fire, four fire extinguishers were sent for inspection, and the results showed that three of them had not been used.

After reading a few articles, the firefighter felt a heavy heart, blaming himself for not being able to save more people. He tried to reassure himself, limit his use of social media, and adjust his mood.

After graduating from Phan Boi Chau High School (Hanoi), Trung joined the police force on February 16, 2021. After three months of training, he was transferred to the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Thanh Xuan District Police.

On his first day on the team, Trung immediately received a fire alarm. Arriving at the scene, he was quite bewildered, not proactively reacting, and simply "did whatever he was told to do."

"Later, participating in many fire incidents, I learned from the commanders and my teammates, and honed my skills," Trung said.

The 9-story mini-apartment building where the horrific fire occurred on the night of September 12 (Photo: Manh Quan).

For over two years, there have been days when the corporal has been involved in four fire incidents continuously from morning until night, with little time for rest. On other days, he is on duty 24/7 at the unit and participates in training sessions.

Without counting the number of fires he put out or the number of people he and his teammates rescued, he only knew to do his best to save the lives of those who survived.

Wearing the firefighter's uniform, Trung knew it was a trade-off, mentally preparing himself for "sacrifice at any moment." His comrades often told him that working in the fire department meant there was no room for fear.

"We carry a great responsibility on our shoulders. If we are afraid, who will save the people? We know that we will either sacrifice ourselves or get injured, but the people are always our top priority," the 20-year-old said, reminding himself to raise his awareness of self-protection - "Because only by protecting myself well can I protect the people."

Dantri.com.vn