The fire burned down the joint Dien May Xanh-The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World) store in Long Thanh District's An Phuoc Commune before the Dong Nai police brought it under control by Saturday afternoon, preventing it from spreading to two adjacent buildings.
According to witnesses, the fire started at around 11:45 a.m. from the building's front signboard before spreading inside.
"At first, there was only smoke. Then the fire flared up, and many customers and staff ran outside," said Ngoc Anh, who works across the street from the store.
The ceiling collapsed and all the devices and equipment inside were completely burned.
"Upon seeing the fire and hearing multiple explosions, many employees panicked and rushed outside so there was no time to move any items," said a male employee of an adjacent store.
Locals and store employees tried to put out the flame using small fire extinguishers, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Empty extinguisher canisters were seen inside the burned-down site.
Three burned water purifiers were found inside the store.
At the time of the fire, more than 20 employees were working in the building, all of whom managed to escape safely.
"The store has insurance so part of the damage may be recoverable," said a Dien May Xanh representative.
Shelves displaying discounted items outside the store were also burned down. The wall of a nearby mini supermarket was scorched, but the fire did not spread inside.
Staff from the Long Thanh Power Company arrived at the scene to fix the electrical issue and help restore power for local residents. The fire damaged utility poles and power lines, affecting many nearby households.
As of 2 p.m., the local police's fire prevention and fighting force remained at the scene to cool down the area and prevent the fire from reigniting.
A representative of Dien May Xanh and The Gioi Di Dong said the blaze destroyed around 1,000 devices on display and in storage, including mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and household electrical appliances. The damage is estimated to be worth billions of dong.
The store's roof collapsed following the fire.
