Firefighters exhausted after 5 hours of firefighting

At about 5:22 a.m. on July 8, the Hanoi City Police Command Information Center received a fire report at house number 12, Tho Quan alley (Dong Da, Hanoi).

After receiving the news, the Command Information Center mobilized 6 fire trucks and dozens of officers and soldiers from the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team of Dong Da and Hai Ba Trung District Police, and the Fire Fighting and Rescue Team of Area 2 (Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department of Hanoi City Police) to the scene to put out the fire.

Black smoke billows from house number 12 Tho Quan alley (Photo: Phung Vu Thang)

Five minutes later, two fire trucks and rescue vehicles of the Dong Da District Police Fire Prevention and Rescue Team arrived at the scene and deployed teams to extinguish the fire and search for trapped people.

Because the area where the fire broke out is a house combined with a service business (pedicure, manicure), a tube-shaped house, 6 floors high, about 60m2 in area, reinforced concrete structure, so the fire fighting force encountered many difficulties in accessing and extinguishing the fire.

The windows on the front of the house are the smoke exhaust points, access points for fire fighting.

The Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Force mobilized 3 mobile gas filling stations and dozens of oxygen tanks so that firefighters had enough oxygen inside the house.

Corporal Nguyen Duc Anh, a Fire Prevention and Rescue Police officer of the Fire Fighting and Rescue Team of Region 2 (Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department, Hanoi City Police) said that at the time of the fire, there was thick black smoke inside the house. The firefighters could only approach for 15 minutes before having to go out to change to another person.

3 mobile gas filling stations were dispatched to the fire scene.

By 7:37 a.m. the same day, the fire was basically extinguished, but smoke was still coming from inside the house. Fire police tried to cool the fire and search for trapped victims. More than 3 hours later, the first victim was brought outside by the authorities.

The bodies of three victims of the fire were brought outside.

Initially, the authorities identified the three deceased as: NQM (born in 2010), NPU (born in 2012) and DTD (born in 2004). The fire burned down household items such as televisions, refrigerators, tables and chairs...

During the 5 hours of firefighting efforts, many firefighters were exhausted, suffered cramps and even injuries.

Soldier Nguyen Duc Thuan slipped and fell because the stairs collapsed.

People provide first aid to injured fire police officer

According to soldier Nguyen Duc Thuan, the heat of the fire caused the stairs' tiles to peel off and the railing to collapse, so when the firefighter stepped on it, it collapsed and caused him to slip and fall.

"The slip caused me to fall backwards, the oxygen tank weighing about 10kg hit my shoulder and back, causing a lot of pain," soldier Nguyen Duc Thuan shared.

People fanned and supported firefighters who suffered from cramps after fighting the fire.

After receiving information about the fire, the Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee directed the City Police to focus on fire fighting, rescue and search and rescue; and investigate to clarify the cause of the fire.

At the same time, the Chairman of the City People's Committee directed the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the People's Committee of Dong Da district to urgently visit the victims' families, organize to overcome the consequences, and stabilize the spiritual life of people in the area.

Source