Firefighters battle flames in Da Nang contest

The finals of the competition organized by the firefighting and rescue police department took place on Monday.

Twenty three out of 140 teams drawn from the fire departments of the country's 63 provinces and cities and the University of Fire Prevention and Fighting qualified for them.

Referees keep track of contestants to mark scores and spot mistakes.

The contests included a 100 m obstacle run and rescue, a 4x100 m relay involving rescue and firefighting and spraying water.

In the water-spraying category, participants needed to unroll hoses and connect them to pumps, the most difficult part of the competition.

Participants aim the hoses to shoot water at targets two meters above the ground. The team hitting the target first was declared the winner.

A firefighter tries to break through a door. Participants needed to get through narrow steel frames, break locks and carry people on their backs, among other tasks in the competition.

A firefighter tries to get past "fire fences" in the firefighting and rescue category. Four members of a team had to split up to pass the obstacles while carrying water buckets, crawling through steel tubes, breaking locks, and putting out flames.

A firefighter uses a mini fire extinguisher to put out a fire in a 4 m2 area.

Participants' family members and passersby cheer for them.

The competition is a chance for participants to hone their skills and strategies in firefighting and rescue.

A firefighter makes it to the finish line.

The HCMC firefighting police department cheers as their team finished in first place, followed by the Central Highlands' Lam Dong Province and the Mekong Delta's Bac Lieu Province.