Huge inferno rages over Hanoi industrial area

Over 20 firetrucks and hundreds of police arrived at the scene to fight the fire at La Phu Industrial Park, Hoai Duc District, Hanoi.

The cause of the fire, which erupted late at night in a warehouse belonging to European Plastic JSC, has yet to be determined.

The blaze ripped through a Nam Viet Company workshop before spreading to an adjacent warehouse.

The city's Firefighting Police Department No.13 mobilized 13 firetrucks, 6 water tankers, an ambulance and several other vehicles. It took firefighters several hours to contain the fire.

Firefighters, polices, soldiers and workers joined forces to extinguish the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby areas.

The military broke down concrete walls using sledgehammers to allow acess for the fire hoses. Several personnel also helped move goods to safety.

At around 10 p.m, the fire was under control, and was extinguished completely at 3 a.m.

Hanoi police have started an investigation at the scene. A total of 1,300 square meters of warehouses and workshops have been reduced to charred ruins. Most of them were said to contain large volumes of flammable materials.