One night after the fire, on the morning of March 18, Lao Dong reported that Thanh Da market (Binh Thanh district) was littered with the ruins of the horrific fire last night. Nearly a dozen stalls, a place to earn a living for dozens of households, were burned down. The traders collapsed on the side of the ashes, tears fell on their backs, they had just lost everything overnight.
At about 10:15 p.m. on March 17, a fire broke out from a newspaper and textbook stall on Thanh Da Street. Because the inside contained many flammable materials such as paper, plastic, and fabric, the fire quickly spread, covering the entire area. Within just 15 minutes, the surrounding stalls, mainly selling clothes, children's toys, and household items, were also burned and burned down.
Seeing the rubble in front of her, Mrs. Ha (owner of a children's toy stall) could not hold back her tears. "I just imported a large shipment to prepare for the summer, now I've lost everything," said Ms. Ha, adding that she has been doing business at this stall for 22 years.
Witnessing the fire burning down her stall, Mrs. D could not help but choke up. "So many commercial properties are considered a total loss," she said.
According to Ms. D, last night, at around 9pm, she was at home near the market when she heard a fire truck. "I ran out quickly, when I arrived, I saw the fire and smoke rising loudly," Ms. D recalled.
Not only Ms. D, traders at the market hope to receive support from the government and soon fix the problem so that they can return to trading and make a living.
By noon on March 18, the police force was present to continue examining the scene and investigating the fire. The fire area was the first row of kiosks next to the entrance to Thanh Da market, with a fire area of about 500 square meters.
Thanh Da market is located between 13 Thanh Da residential areas, where more than 1,000 people live. When a fire broke out, many adults and children evacuated to the lower level to ensure safety and avoid inhaling toxic smoke into the floors of the residence.
The Fire Police mobilized many fire trucks and dozens of soldiers to the scene. However, because the fire was too big and spread quickly, extinguishing the fire encountered many difficulties. By 11pm on March 17, the fire was basically under control, but nearly a dozen stalls had completely collapsed.
The fire not only caused property damage but also seriously affected the lives of dozens of households. Thanh Da market is their main source of income, now, they do not know what to do to make a living.
Currently, the authorities are conducting statistics on damage and investigating the cause of the fire.
