At 1.45 am on July 19, a mother and her child were killed after a fire broke out at their house on Vong Street. According to the firefighters, the house owners extended the living space on the second, third and fourth floors with so-called tiger cages so the residents couldn't escape via the blocked balconies.
The tiger cage is a common means to enlarge the living space by 10 to 12 square metres in the urban areas. Residents at new apartment buildings said they had to block the balconies to prevent thieves from entering and children from accidentally falling out.
Nguyen Ngoc Chau, head of the Fire Department no. 8, said the residents in old and new apartment buildings and residential houses usually seek out measures to prevent thieves but not fire. They reinforce the windows and balconies with no clear standards. As a result, their only exit is the one staircase and front door.
When a fire breaks out, the firefighters will have to cut the iron cages to rescue and this is time-consuming and especially dangerous in emergency cases.
"Last year, we proposed a measure to reduce fire risks at houses in Thanh Xuan and Hoang Mai districts. The extension cages must have doors and the residents can lock it up when they don't use it. It will be their fire exit," Chau said.
Some photos of caged house extensions blocks in Hanoi:
Various tiger cages at Nguyen Hong Apartment Block_gwbq.jpg)
Electrical lines extremely close to the tiger cages_qqez.jpg)
Thanh Cong apartment building with all kinds of extensions_wikz.jpg)
The residents extend their house wherever they can
_jupm.jpg)
An old apartment building on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street_vcoc.jpg)
_tvsf.jpg)
House balconies are blocked_yeas.jpg)
The small space of an alleyway is also used to extend a house