A fire kills eight residents at Doc Lap Complex in HCM City on July 6.
According to the city’s police department, the fire broke out around 9.30 pm on July 6 from an apartment on the ground floor of the five-storey Doc Lap Complex. Neighbours initially attempted to contain the blaze using handheld extinguishers, but the flames quickly intensified and spread to the upper floors.
Firefighters and multiple fire engines were dispatched to the scene. The blaze was brought under control by 1 am on July 7, but rescuers later recovered eight bodies from the site, including six adults and two children.
Fire engines and ambulances at the site
Vu Anh Viet, a local resident, said he heard several loud explosions before seeing the flames engulf the apartment’s entrance and front yard. “The fire blocked the only exit, so no one could escape,” he said. “Many neighbours tried to put it out with small extinguishers, but it was too late. After the fire was out, I saw police carry out eight bodies wrapped in blankets.”
Officials confirmed that the victims belonged to two households. One family included a couple aged 38 and 40 and their two children aged 7 and 11. The second family consisted of four adults whose identities have not yet been confirmed.
Inside the burnt apartment, authorities found a car and multiple motorbikes destroyed by the flames.
A car and multiple motorbikes are destroyed by the flames.
The Doc Lap complex houses more than 110 apartments, each measuring 45 to 60 square metres.