Binh Duong fire kills seven
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Authorities in Binh Duong search for bodies under the rubble caused by a sudden fire that broke out at 2 am yesterday morning. It has been reported seven people lost their lives. — VNA/VNS Chi Tuong |
HCM CITY — A fire at a mattress manufacturer's warehouse in southern Binh Duong Province's Thuan An District killed seven people, including the company director and her five-month-old son.
The fire destroyed the home of the director of the Sieu Vinh Loi Company and a storage facility attached to the home.
Huge volumes of fabric stored in the building helped spread the fire quickly, fire-fighters said.
The dead include company director Nguyen Thi Kieu, 34; her mother-in-law, Pham Thi Luyen, 54; Kieu's five-month-old son, Le Duc Anh Tai; company accountant Doan Thi Hong Nhung, 25; company driver Tran Van Phuong, 22; two workers Pham Thi Hong and Pham Thi Hien.
Six fire-engines of the Thuan An District fire-brigade fought the fire but the blaze was so intense that it took more than an hour to get it under control. The fire was put out at 5am.
The fire also destroyed many sewing machines, three motorbikes, a truck and a 7-seat van.
Fire Prevention and Fighting Unit Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Le Anh Viet, of Binh Duong Province Police, said the fire had caused the most human loss in many years in the province.
A short-circuit was suspected as the cause of the fire, pending further investigation.
Meanwhile, in another blaze on Wednesday, in Thanh Xuan District of Ha Noi, two people died from smoke suffocation in an 18th-floor apartment.
The two victims were identified as a 34-year-old mother and her 10-year-old son. The fire was fought by 80 fire-fighters.
Police said the blaze resulted from someone putting an inflammable substance in a waste pipe.
A police spokesman said the culprit would be charged with an irresponsible act causing serious consequences.
The recently completed apartment building was claimed to have met international standards for construction. There was no automatic fire extinguishing system in the building.
The building is under the management of Ha Noi Construction Corporation.
The Department of Fire Prevention and Fighting figures show there have been five blazes in tall residential apartment buildings in the city in the past five years, the last one being in mid-2009. It was also caused by a resident dropping inflammable substance into the waste pipe of the building. — VNS