 |
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 5 chaired a teleconference on fire prevention and fighting with leaders of 63 provinces and centrally-run cities. (Photo: SGGP) |
The meeting reviewed the 10-month implementation of Directive No.01 / CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on strengthening fire prevention and fighting in the new situation.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that a number of recent fires caused serious consequences to people and property, especially the tragic fire at a mini apartment building in the capital city of Hanoi that killed 56 people on September 12 night.
The fire incidents showed that the localities need urgent measures for fire prevention and control to ensure the health, safety, and property of residents and businesses.
According to the Prime Minister, the country is in the process of strong development, industrialization, modernization, urbanization, and a growing population with a large number of construction projects leading to the demand for energy increasing rapidly.
While infrastructure system has been downgraded and did not meet the requirements for fire safety and security, prevention and fighting. Additionally, the spirit of responsibility of leadership in implementing fire prevention and fighting works, and residents’ firefighting skills and knowledge are still limited.
The Prime Minister requested to focus on evaluating the problems, limitations, inadequacies, difficulties, and experiences to have radical, drastic, and feasible solutions to enhance the state management of fire prevention, fighting, and rescue to ensure the health, safety, and property of residents and businesses.
 |
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting. (Photo: SGGP) |
According to reports released at the conference, 134 were killed and 101 others injured in 2,927 fires throughout the country from the beginning of this year to the present, especially the tragic fire at a mini apartment building in Thanh Xuan District of Hanoi that killed 56 people and injured 37 others on September 12 night. Property valued at nearly VND230 billion was lost to a fire outbreak in the country. Fires have so far burned 270 hectares of forests.
After the fire at the apartment block in Hanoi, under the PM’s direction, the Ministry of Public Security has delegated the police departments of provinces and cities nationwide to coordinate with local authorities to conduct inspection of fire prevention and fighting and rescue works at office and apartment buildings, and established interdisciplinary inspection teams to carry out inspection of implementation of the fire prevention and fighting work taken by the police departments of HCMC, Long An, Vinh Long, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh and Binh Phuoc.
According to the surveys, there are 3,732 apartment buildings, 192,860 accommodation facilities offering rooms and houses for rent, 1,585 multi-family homes, and 99,707 homes combined with trading explosive and dangerous substances nationwide.
The functional forces issued fines to 228 apartment buildings, 8,799 accommodation facilities offering rooms for rent and multi-family homes, and 1,067 homes combined with trading explosive and dangerous substances nationwide for violations of regulations on fire safety and firefighting.
