300 motorbikes torched in HCMC parking lot

The parking lot managed by Ho Chi Minh City's Traffic Police Department to keep vehicles as evidence for cases under investigation caught fire on Monday afternoon.

More than 20 fire trucks and 130 firefighters were sent to the scene on Hiep Binh Street, Thu Duc, in an attempt to keep the fire from spreading to the residential area nearby.

The fire lasting for over an hour destroyed 300 motorbikes and four cars.

The cause of the fire is yet to be identified.

A charred mini truck and 16-seater.

The flame reached a four-story apartment building next to the parking lot.

The owner of one such apartment said: "Billowing fire and smoke forced my family to run for cover."

Those living in the apartment building said it took them hours to clean the coal dust off their walls.

The heat from the blaze shattered a glass window.

The fire melted an air conditioner extraction box.

Electricians fix power cables after the fire had been completely put out Monday evening.

The parking lot of 1,100 square meters has existed for over a decade and is normally closed.