“When I brought the girl down, she hugged me tightly. I understood how scared and panicked she was,” the firefighter said.
A fire at a hotel in Long Thanh My Ward, Thu Duc City (HCMC) trapped 6 people, including 4 on the building’s rooftop. All 6 victims, including 2 children, were later brought out safely by firefighters.
The photo of a male firefighter with his face covered in smoke and dust, holding a little girl tightly as he ran out of the fire especially attracted public attention, moved many people and was widely shared on social networking forums.
Hoang Kha hugs the little girl to escape the fire. Photo PC07 |
The firefighter in the photo is Nguyen Cong Hoang Kha (born 2004), currently working at the Staff Team, Thu Duc City Area Team, under the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police (PC07).
Talking to VietNamNet reporter , Hoang Kha was still emotional when he rushed to the rooftop to save the little girl from the fire.
Receiving a fire alarm at a hotel on Hoang Huu Nam Street, Hoang Kha and his teammates quickly arrived at the scene and began firefighting efforts.
He received orders from Lieutenant Colonel Dao Hong Khanh - Deputy Team Leader, and together with other officers and soldiers in the working group, quickly approached the victims' location.
When he identified 4 victims (including a 2-year-old child and a 3-year-old child) trapped on the top floor, Hoang Kha ran through the fire to rescue them despite the smoke and toxic gas.
“When I arrived, the father was holding the 3-year-old girl, and the mother was holding the 2-year-old. The two children were scared and cried a lot. I calmed the whole family down and took the 3-year-old down first, while the other soldiers took the 2 adults and the 2-year-old down later,” Kha recounted.
Hoang Kha has participated in extinguishing more than 10 fires. Photo: NVCC |
Being held tightly by the firefighter, the little girl stopped crying. Hoang Kha ran and comforted the little girl to stop her panic. At that moment, the only thing Kha felt was the tight hug of the little girl.
“When I brought the girl down, she hugged my neck very tightly. I understand how scared and panicked she was,” he said.
After bringing the girl out safely, Hoang Kha continued to work with his teammates to put out the fire. After 20 minutes, the fire was extinguished. Having completed his mission, Kha returned to his duty unit, ready to fight. He has not had the opportunity to see the girl and her family again.
“The image went viral, my family was very proud of me. I was also happy that I had completed the mission with my brothers, bringing 6 people safely out of the fire,” Kha shared.
Kha's father worked in the industry, so he loved the military uniform since he was a child. After graduating from high school, he joined the army, and after 3 months as a rookie, he was assigned to the fire prevention team and trained from there. In February 2025, he was considered for professional recruitment.
Hoang Kha during the rehearsal. Photo: NVCC |
Over the years, Kha has undergone many rigorous training sessions.
He practiced many difficult exercises such as training close to real terrain based on fire and explosion situations, training in the use of fire-fighting equipment, and group training to improve physical strength, mentality, and courage during combat...
"My father is a police officer. He is a great motivation for me to continue the family tradition and is the motivation for me to strive, practice and contribute," Kha said.
In the past two years, Kha has participated in extinguishing dozens of fires. The incident that he remembers most was the fire at a foreigner’s plastic factory. Because there were so many plastic products and the fire was so big, the extinguishing work lasted for 15 hours.
“The job is hard and sometimes dangerous, but I love it. Every time I participate in firefighting, there is always something that urges me to be quick, to make sure that everyone in trouble is safe, and to limit damage to the people as much as possible."
There were times when people gave him water and candy after putting out a fire. He always remembered and appreciated that kindness and affection, and felt even more responsible for his job.
According to Vietnamnet
Source: https://tienphong.vn/nguoi-linh-cuu-hoa-ke-lai-phut-vuot-khoi-lua-cuu-be-gai-khoi-dam-chay-o-tphcm-post1725806.tpo
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