Shopkeepers devastated as fire decimates Hanoi market

At around 2 p.m. on Saturday, a fire breaks out at a stall in the Quang Market in Hanoi's Thanh Tri District and quickly spreads to neighboring stalls, sending shopkeepers and customers fleeing in panic.

A group of locals and shopkeepers rush to the scene with water hoses to stop the fire while waiting for firefighters to arrive.

Firefighters on 10 firetrucks quickly arrive at the scene and are forced to knock down parts of the market's walls before they could reach the fire.

A retailer tries desperately to save his shop with a bucket of water.

Abandoned by its owner, this motorbike is melted down from the heat. As the fire spread too quickly, most people had to leave their wares and belongings behind.

Two shopkeepers break down in tears upon learning that their wares have been decimated by the fire.

Once the fire is contained, shopkeepers move in to salvage what's left of their shops, through holes dug onto the market's walls. Their stalls' entrances have been burned down.

Dozens of clothes and fruit stalls on the first floor are reduced to ashes. The fire was successfully contained at 3.30 p.m.

Officials said Quang is a temporary market opened about four years ago, more than half an hour south of the Hanoi center. The 1,600-square meter (1,900-square yard) market is a two-story, steel-framed building surrounded by dozens of small brick stalls.

The fire started from a bedding stall on the first floor, according to Thanh Tri District police. While it was discovered early on, locals were unable to contain the fire as the bedding stall's owner had locked the door to go out for lunch, and the fire quickly spread to the neighboring votive paper stall. It did not result in any casualty while the proprietary damage is still being determined, according to local authorities.