Initial information on May 9, a fire broke out at apartment number 301, 3rd floor of Vien Dong apartment building (Tran Hung Dao street, Ward 5, District 5).
People living in the apartment discovered smoke and a burning smell coming from this apartment and quickly caused an alarm, and at the same time tried to put out the fire initially with fire extinguishers on the spot but failed.
Immediately after receiving the report, the Fire Prevention and Fighting and Rescue Police (PC07), Ho Chi Minh City Police urgently dispatched 3 fire trucks and 17 officers and soldiers to the scene to carry out rescue and extinguish the fire.
According to information from the authorities, there were 5 people trapped inside the burning apartment. All victims suffered from smoke inhalation, of which Ms. T.D.M (63 years old) and Mr. T.T.H (34 years old) were the most seriously injured and were taken to Cho Ray Hospital for emergency treatment.
A witness at the scene added that among the people trapped were twin girls about 5 years old sleeping with their mother, an elderly grandmother and an uncle with a history of neurological disease.
By noon of the same day, the functional forces of District 5 were still coordinating with Ho Chi Minh City Police to block off the scene and conduct an autopsy to investigate the cause of the fire.
