Downtown HCMC bar goes on fire

Smokes billowing out of a bar near Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City, Dec. 25, 2024. Photo provided to VnExpress

Smokes began to rise from the bar on Ly Tu trong Street, about 150 m away from the northern gates of Ben Thanh Market at around 1 p.m.

The facility, located between two fashion stores, was closed at the time of the fire. There were four maintenance personnel at the bar and all were brought outside to safety.

Locals tried to extinguish the fire themselves but failed. As the smokes continued to billow out of the area, people in the neighborhood, including foreign tourists, began to run away in fear.

Two foreign tourists cover their mouth from smoke from a bar fire in Ho Chi Minh City, Dec. 25, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung

Firefighter trucks, along with around 20 officers, rushed to the scene. A 300 m road section from the Nguyen Trung Truc intersection to Thu Khoa Huan was barricaded.

The entrance into the bar is only a meter wide. Firefighters had to use ladders and roofs to gain access to the fire source.

A local official said initial investigation suggested short circuit was the cause of the fire.

Police said the fire was controlled by 3:30 p.m. It caused no casualties but damaged the furniture.

Another bar around 80 meters away caught fire in October 2022 while it was under repair, also leaving no casualties.