A blaze set out and demolished a house on Trung Kinh Street, Cau Giay District, early this morning (May 24), killing at least 14 people and injuring seven others.

A victim is taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Fifty firefighters and local police officers arrived on the scene to extinguish the fire after it was reported at 12:45 p.m.

It took firefighters about 45 minutes to extinguish the blaze. They rescued seven people. Three were taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. At least 14 people were confirmed dead. The fire destroyed all the electric bikes, motorcycles, and bicycles in the house.

With a total area of 205m2, the house was a bike repair shop and for rent. It was home to 24 people, including 17 lessees.

The house was reportedly equipped with fire extinguishers and fire safety devices, as required by law. The owner's family members were also trained to deal with fires.

The case remains under investigation.

After the fire, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung, Deputy Minister of Public Security Tran Quoc To, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh, and local authorities and police arrived at the scene as soon as possible to direct the rescue and firefighting operations.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha (second from right), Hanoi Mayor Tran Sy Thanh (third from right), and officials of relevant agencies were present at the fire scene this morning. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Hanoi's Party chief ordered the city's Public Security Department to investigate the fire and deal with any violations that led to it.

He also asked local authorities to comfort the families of the victims. This morning, VND50 million (US$1,960) was given to each family of the deceased and VND30 million (US$1,180) to each family of the injured.  

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also sent a letter expressing condolences.

National lawmakers at the working session of the 7th Congress of the 15th National Assembly today (May 24) expressed deep sorrow for the victims and their families.

They requested that the Government and local authorities make extensive efforts to communicate with the people to prevent similar cases from happening.

They urged the government and local authorities to make a major effort to enforce fire safety regulations for rental housing.

Trinh Xuan An, standing member of the National Committee for Defense and Public Security, said that rental houses should be banned, especially if their owners cannot meet fire prevention and rescue standards.

The latest incident is the worst since a fire gutted an apartment building in Thanh Xuan district's Ha Dinh ward last September, killing 56 people.