House fire kills four people in Hanoi

A fire occurring at a six-story house in Dinh Cong Ha street, Hanoi’s Hoang Mai district on Sunday killed at least four people.

Initial information shows that the fire broke out at around 6 p.m. from the fourth floor of the house. In just a few minutes, it burned fiercely, accompanied by billowing black smoke that enveloped the house. At that time, it was raining heavily.

The house specializes in trading in electrical and water supplies, synthetic metals, and paint. Covering 120 square meters, it has one staircase and one elevator, local media reported.

When the fire broke out, Lieutenant General Nguyen Tuan Anh, director of the Vietnam Fire and Rescue Police Department; Lieutenant General Nguyen Hai Trung, chief of Hanoi Police; and many leaders of the city’s police were reportedly present at the scene to direct firefighting and rescue work.

By 8:20 p.m., the fire was gradually controlled. Fire police tried to reach inside the house to save trapped people.

Local media quoted Hanoi Police as saying that after a preliminary search, forces discovered four dead bodies.

By 10:30 p.m., the fire was completely extinguished, but the scene was still blocked to serve investigations.

Previously, on May 24, a fire at a rental house in Trung Kinh street, Hanoi's Cau Giay district killed 14 people and injured several others.

The properties, a two-floor house and a three-floor house for rent, were home to seven members of the landlord's family and 17 tenants in 10 rooms.

Last September, a fire at a mini apartment building in densely-populated Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi killed 56 people and injured 37 others. The landlord was detained and a large number of local officials were disciplined.