Residents forced to flee as massive blaze engulfs plastics factory in Saigon

By Son Hoa   August 1, 2017 | 12:03 am PT
It took 250 firefighters nearly four hours to douse the inferno.

A fire swept through a plastics factory in Ho Chi Minh City's Binh Chanh District on Tuesday morning, putting local residents at risk.

The fire started at Tuan Thong Plastic Company's factory early in the morning and lasted for more than four hours, forcing locals to evacuate the area.

Local resident Nguyen My Lan said the sirens from the fire trucks woke her up at 5 a.m. shortly before smoke engulfed the area.

“I ran out of my house to see a big fire rising from the factory. My family and neighbors grabbed anything valuable from our houses before we left,” Lan said.

It took 250 firefighters and 45 fire trucks to put out the blaze, Do Van Khang, the head of Binh Chanh's fire department, told VnExpress.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire. No deaths or injuries have been reported.

Deadly fires are common in Vietnam and are generally blamed on a lack of fire-safety measures.

 
 
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