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The driver, Nguyen The Tung, 33, was transporting five tons of scrap laptop batteries from Cat Lai Port toward Dong Hoa Ward along Vo Nguyen Giap Street on Dec. 20.
As he reached the Binh Thai Intersection, he noticed smoke and flames erupting from the back of the vehicle, accompanied by the sound of exploding batteries.
The driver drives a truck carrying burning laptop batteries to a fire station in HCMC, Dec. 20, 2025. Video by local people
Tung initially pulled over and attempted to douse the flames with the help of other motorists using portable extinguishers.
When those efforts failed and the fire intensified, Tung remembered that Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Team No. 2 (part of the city's Firefighting and Rescue Police Department) was located nearby.
Realizing the fire was beyond his control, Tung activated his hazard lights and accelerated through dense traffic.
To reach the station as quickly as possible, he navigated through the congestion and ran several red lights as the fire grew larger in his rearview mirror. Upon arriving at the station, he parked the truck on a grassy roadside and rushed inside to alert the authorities.
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Inside a truck after the fire in its cargo was extinguished outside a fire station in HCMC. Photo by Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Team No. 2. |
Twelve firefighters immediately deployed two fire engines, using high-pressure hoses to extinguish the blaze in under five minutes. Police commended Tung's decisive action, noting that his choice to drive directly to the station allowed for timely handling of a potentially disastrous situation.
Investigators determined that the fire was sparked by friction among the electronic waste and laptop batteries in the cargo bed. While the truck's undercarriage remained intact, much of the scrap cargo was destroyed.
Residents captured the dramatic scene of the flaming vehicle moving through traffic, while photos from the Fire Prevention and Fighting Police later showed the charred remains of the truck after the fire was successfully contained.
