Massive fire leaves Vietnamese beach town in the dark

By Staff reporters   December 12, 2017 | 01:15 am PT
The fire reportedly started in a scrap warehouse in Vung Tau, and has been raging for nearly six hours.
[Video by Nguyen Khoa]

A huge fire has been raging for hours in the southern beach town of Vung Tau, causing widespread power outages.

Eyewitnesses said the fire started at around 9:30 a.m. and was still burning at 3 p.m., despite 10 fire trucks being sent to the scene.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said the fire started in a scrap warehouse belonging to a Chinese national.

Flammable materials and strong winds have helped the fire to spread quickly.

It has already taken down two high voltage power pylons, leading to a blackout across the town, which is outside Saigon and home to 450,000 people.

Smoke columns of around 100 meters (330 feet) high could be seen from 10 kilometers away, according to a Thanh Nien (Young People) report.

No casualties or damage estimates have been reported.

 
 
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