Nha Trang hotel catches fire, guests safe

Columns of fire spouted out of the second floor of the Cicilia Hotel on Le Loi Street in the central resort town Thursday morning at around 9:0 a.m.

Dozens of foreigners ran outside in panic even as the hotel’s staff tried to put out the fire using mini extinguishers and led the guests outside safely.

Around 100 hotel guests, most of them foreign tourists, on the upper floors were trapped in the building for sometime. They screamed for help from the windows as thick smoke billowed upwards.

Two women use wet towels to protect themselves from inhaling smoke. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Ngoc

"Many foreigners panicked, carrying their clothes and waving their hands as they looked for help on the upper floors," one eyewitness said.

Fire trucks, dozens of firefighters and local police were dispatched to the scene, and the fire was put out around half an hour later.

Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire and estimate property damage.

Nha Trang is a popular beach destination among both local and foreign tourists, and helped draw 2.2 million foreign guests to Khanh Hoa Province in the first nine months of this year.