Authorities in Chuong Duong Ward of Hoan Kiem District in Hanoi are working at helping hundreds of households to relocate to temporary shelters after their wooden apartment block building located on Vong Ha Street was gutted in a fire on August 26.
Pham Thi Xuan Mai, chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Chuong Duong Ward, said that local authorities arrived at the scene immediately as the fire erupted, which caused widespread panic among local residents.
Authorities were quick to arrange for temporary shelters and provide food for all victims of the fire. On the night of the fire, 19 households were given a house in the resettlement building in Phu Thuong Ward of Tay Ho District.
Ward authorities also gave VND6 million to each household and the family of the deceased Hoang Thi Dam, 91, who was reportedly stuck inside her house after failing to escape the fire. An additional sum of VND4.5 million was given for her burial ceremony.
All the tenants of the C8 apartment building that was burnt down also received VND1 million each.
As the fire began to spread, a number of local soldiers and students voluntarily helped firefighters to prevent the flames from spreading.
According to locals, a gas leak might have caused the fire.
On August 27, the People’s Committee in Hanoi sent an urgent dispatch to the People’s Committee in Hoan Kiem District and the Department of Construction, asking to remove people living in other wooden apartment buildings in the district to resettlement houses, so as to avoid another similar tragedy.
