Fire without warning

Fire prevention is not the sole responsibility of specialized forces but a shared responsibility, starting with the awareness of each family, each production and business establishment. Reality shows that just one minute of negligence or carelessness can lead to serious consequences. It is worth mentioning that many fires can be prevented if each person develops fire prevention awareness early.

Scene of the fire at Quoc Hung gold and silver store, Cho Moi commune, July 23, 2025.

In the first 6 months of this year, 58 fires occurred in Thai Nguyen province, killing 3 people and causing property damage estimated at nearly 3.2 billion VND. Notably, more than half of the fires were determined to have originated from electrical system and equipment failures and due to carelessness when using fire and heat sources.

Two recent serious fires in Cho Ra and Cho Moi communes, Thai Nguyen province, are examples. In Cho Ra, a serious fire occurred in the business area combined with the headquarters of Ba Be Investment, Trade and Service Joint Stock Company, causing one death, one injury and property damage of about 2.5 billion VND. This area mainly houses household goods, electrical equipment, clothing, etc.

In Cho Moi commune, a fire broke out at a gold and silver shop on July 23, and authorities promptly rescued three people trapped inside. Notably, the fire was determined to have started on the first floor, where there were many flammable materials and plastic items, emitting a large amount of smoke and toxic gas. However, these incidents all have one thing in common: the fire did not come from a “rare” cause, but from a lack of initiative in fire prevention - something that could have been avoided.

The question is, we have talked a lot about fire prevention and fighting, but why do unfortunate incidents continue to occur? The answer lies largely in awareness and habits. While the authorities have implemented many strong solutions from propaganda, inspection, to technical guidance, in many places, people still consider fire prevention to be someone else's business.

Many households hang fire extinguishers but have never tried to use them. Many production and business establishments have emergency exits but they are covered up; electrical wires are tangled, gas stoves are near flammable objects, or people lock their doors when sleeping without a second emergency exit. If fire prevention awareness stops at slogans, it will be difficult to prevent the consequences when a fire suddenly breaks out.

In reality, although the authorities have implemented many measures, if people are still indifferent, the effectiveness of fire prevention will hardly be as expected. Because fire prevention cannot be a response when an incident has occurred, but needs to start from small daily habits such as: turning off electrical equipment after use, checking the wiring, arranging escape routes, reminding relatives about escape skills...

When everyone takes the initiative in simple things like this, fire prevention will no longer be something that needs to be reminded from the outside, but will become a natural part of a safe and responsible lifestyle.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202507/hoa-hoan-khong-cho-canh-bao-9fa38f6/