Fire destroys wood factory in Tan Tao Industrial Park

HCM CITY—A warehouse and two workshops were destroyed after a fire occurred at a wood processing factory in Tan Tao Industrial Park on Saturday evening. No casualties were reported.

According to the HCM City Fire Brigade, the fire broke out at about 5pm at the paint-spraying section of a workshop at the Scancia Pacific Co Ltd in Tan Tao IP in HCM City's Binh Tan District.

The fire later spread to two other workshops covering 10,800sq.m. Many of the factory's timber products were also destroyed in the blaze.

Thirty-three fireengines and about 300 firemen were sent to combat the fire.

The fire was contained at 10.45pm after destroying the warehouse, two other workshops including the paint-spraying facility, and 10 containers of finished products.

Dinh Diem Thuy, deputy director of the company, was quoted by Tuoi Tre online newspaper as saying that damage was estimated at US$ 1 million.

HCM City Police are looking into the causes of the fire.

Earlier, at 15.30pm on Saturday, a fire broke out at a building in My Khanh Commune, in Can Tho City's Phong Dien District, burning down a warehouse and two houses. No casualties were reported.

Witnesses said the fire broke out at a warehouse storing elemi (dau rai, dau tram), a material used in boat building, before spreading to neighbouring houses.

Can Tho City firemen contained the fire an hour after it had started. Damage caused by the fire was estimated at VND100 million ($5,000). —VNS