At exactly 8:00 p.m., the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Force of Hoang Mai District Police (Hanoi) issued orders for a firefighting and rescue drill.

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Local fire fighting forces quickly arrived to help put out the fire. Photo: Dinh Hieu
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The situation is that the parking area in the basement of the HH2C building caught fire due to an electrical short circuit. The fire spread quickly and caught other flammable materials. During the escape, a resident on the 6th floor of the building forgot to turn off the gas stove, causing a fire in the apartment. At the same time, the fire caused smoke and toxic gas to spread to the hallway and fire escape, trapping many people.

Fire and Rescue Police used a ladder truck to bring the trapped victim to the ground.

Upon discovering the fire, two people on duty in the building and some people on duty in the basement shouted and used available fire extinguishers to put it out. The on-site fire fighting force coordinated with many units including: Ward Police, medical staff, militia, civil defense, professional Fire Prevention and Rescue Police... to put out the fire and rescue trapped people.

After nearly 30 minutes, the forces successfully handled the situations and safely rescued the trapped people.

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Fire protection system in the basement of the apartment building prevents fire from spreading. Photo: Dinh Hieu
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Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quang Huan - Deputy Chief of Hoang Mai District Police said that the new point of this drill is that it is conducted in the evening to create conditions for thousands of residents to participate and acquire firefighting and escape skills. The drill also creates conditions for units to practice and coordinate with each other to handle situations that may occur in reality.

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Modern smoke extraction vehicles were mobilized in the exercise. Photo: Dinh Hieu

Ms. Do Thi Dung, a resident of HH2C building, said that at the HH Linh Dam apartment complex, residents are regularly educated and practice firefighting and rescue. However, this is the largest drill and it is conducted at night, so it is very close to reality.

"Through the situations, I also learned the skills to escape and help family members escape if a fire or explosion occurs. At the same time, I trained myself to stay calm to handle the incident," said Ms. Do Thi Dung.

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Many people participated in the exercise. Photo: Dinh Hieu

According to the People's Committee of Hoang Mai district, at the HH Linh Dam apartment complex, there are 12 apartment buildings with a large number of residents, so this propaganda, training and fire fighting plan practice session helps local authorities and people gain more experience in handling incidents when fires and explosions occur.