At Least 14 Dead Leaves Fire on Block of Apartments in Vietnam

A fire burned down an apartment complex in central Hanoi, Vietnam, early Friday morning, killing 14 people and injuring three others, local police said.

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Smoke and toxic gases left the building in Cau Giay, a densely populated district of the Vietnamese capital that houses several universities, after a fire occurred around local 00H30 (17H30 GMT on Thursday).

Rescuers broke in, breaking the lock on an outside door and smashing a window to rescue seven people trapped inside. Neighbors reported hearing explosions "like firecrackers" and screams from people inside and nearby.

"The fire grew strongly, destroying many motorcycles, e-bikes and bicycles in the courtyard area," Hanoi police said in a statement.

"At 01h26 the fire was completely extinguished. Rescue teams discovered 14 people dead".

The building’s corrugated metal roof collapsed when the fire reduced the complex to a charred shell open to the sky, strewn with blackened belongings and bicycle parts. It was unclear how many people were inside at the time of the fire.

The building consisted of two interconnected blocks, one of two floors and one of three, located in an alley of two meters wide, with 12 rooms for rent. The yard was reportedly used to sell and repair electric bicycles.

In Vietnam’s deadliest fire in two decades, 56 people died, three of them children, in an apartment block disaster in Hanoi last September. The country has experienced other deadly fires in recent years, often in entertainment venues.