At around 6 p.m. Sunday, smokes came up from the 4th floor of the house on Dinh Cong Ha Street, Hanoi's Hoang Mai District.
The tube house has an elevator and a staircase. The first floor is a business establishment that sells construction materials, while the second and third floors are storage areas. The 4th and 5th floors are bedrooms, the 6th floor is the kitchen and living room, and the top floor is where the altar and drying racks are at.
The fire began from the 4th floor, where the bedroom is. There are balconies with escape paths to the neighbors' houses.
When the fire happened, the house owner's son and daughter, who were on the first floor, managed to escape outside with their employees. The owner, on the 5th floor, managed to escape to a neighbor's house. On other floors, four people remained stranded: the owner's wife and their three grandchildren, aged 2, 6 and 11.
The 6th floor is covered in glass. Firefighters gained access to the house from two directions to put out the flames from the 4th to 6th floors and looked for those trapped inside.
The fire was put out at around 8 p.m., but the smokes were still coming out of the 5th floor. Firefighters brought in oxygen tanks to find survivors. Stretchers were brought in as well.
Following the fire, the site was barricaded. Hanoi authorities have requested the police to investigate the cause of the fire, as well as supporting victims.
Many locals only learn about the fire in the morning.
It is the second severe fire incident in Hanoi over the past month. Previously on May 24, a house in Cau Giay District that includes a block with rooms for rent also went ablaze, resulting in the death of 14 people and six injured people. The cause of the fire has yet to be announced.
Firefighters and locals try to rescue those trapped inside the burning house to no avail. Video by VnExpress/Huy Manh, Anh Phu
