Students evacuated without injury in Hanoi school fire

By Thanh Hang, Viet An February 15, 2023 | 01:46 am PT

Children wait to be evacuated as their primary school caught fire in Hanoi, February 15, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Huy Manh

Some 1,900 students at Yen Hoa primary school in Cau Giay District had to be evacuated Wednesday after a fire began in the school’s basement.

The fire produced columns of smoke that engulfed one of the primary school’s 5-story buildings at around 11:45 a.m.

Teachers were instructed to evacuate students out of the building. The fire happened during nap time and several students did not have enough time to put on their shoes as they escaped.

They were evacuated to either another building at the school, an apartment complex opposite the school or a kindergarten next door to the school.

Three firefighting trucks and dozens of officers were dispatched to the scene to help guide the students to safety. At 12:05 p.m., the fire was put out. The incident caused no human casualties, though some desks and chairs were damaged.

Students got the afternoon off. Their belongings on the first floor of the building that caught fire were left as they were.

"We are waiting for authorities to perform inspections. If it’s possible, the students will return to school starting tomorrow. If not, the school will send the students’ books and other items to their families and switch to online learning," said Nguyen Phuong Lan, the school’s principal.

An initial investigation revealed that the fire happened due to a short circuit. Lan said electrical inspections are performed regularly, and no similar incident has happened in the past.