4 killed as fire engulfs three houses in Saigon

The fire in the alley off Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, which started at around 4 a.m., was accompanied by multiple explosions, according to witnesses.

Neighbors discovered the fire first and used portable extinguishers to try and put it out, but to no avail. Within a few minutes it began to blaze and spread to two nearby houses.

Huong, 59, who lives near the scene, said there were seven people in the house at the time of the fire - six adults and one child.

"The fire broke out on the ground floor and then spread to a number of motorbikes, and there was a blast. Many people tried to bring mini fire extinguishers closer, but it was too hot. The house had two layers of iron doors, so it was difficult for rescuers to access," she said.

She added that when the fire started, two adults downstairs were able to carry the child out. People in two houses next door also quickly evacuated.

The District 10 fire brigade dispatched several vehicles and men to the scene, but the houses are located deep inside an alley that is less than two meters wide, and the trucks had difficulty negotiating it.

It took them about an hour to bring the fire under control.

A district official said four died in the house where it started. They are two women Nguyen Thi Hong Xuan, 46, Le Thi Hong Tuyet, 47, and two men Tran Quoc Cuong, 38 and Le Hoang Dung, 56.

The fire also burned several motorbikes in the house to frame.

The police are investigating the cause of the fire.