Fire descimates Hanoi warehouse complex

A fire broke out at a warehouse in Hanoi's outskirt district of Nam Tu Liem early Friday afternoon, before spreading to nearby warehouses and an office building, sending up huge columns of black smoke.

Thick black smoke rising from the fire. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Du.

No casualties were reported, but employees were unable to contain the flames with the extinguishers on site and had to call in firefighters to tackle the blaze. 

Fifteen fire trucks were dispatched to the scene, assisted by local police and the military. It took two and a half hours to bring the fire under control, while two of the firefighters were injured and the hundred-square-meter complex suffered heavy damage.

Electronic devices rescued from the burning warehouses. Photo by VnExpress.

The complex contained flammable materials such as wood, clothes, styrofoam and air conditioners that fueled the fire and hindered efforts to tackle it.

The fire also grabbed the attention of many locals and passers-by, holding up traffic on one of Hanoi's busiest roads.

Nearby buildings covered in smoke. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

The cause of the fire and the damage it caused are yet to be determined.