The Cau Giay District People Committee announced the information following a check on fire safety prevention at local boarding houses.
According to the committee's report, which was conducted following a recent deadly fire at a local boarding house, causing 14 deaths and six injuries, there are currently 3,300 boarding houses in the area. However, only 153 of them registered the service.
The check also found that as many as 3,170 boarding houses cannot be accessed by fire engines, nearly 3,000 houses lack proper fire alarms, and over 2,800 houses lack proper emergency exit systems.
The report said, "Most of the houses lie in narrow lanes and have only one emergency exit."
The district authorities have asked the owners of these facilities to upgrade their fire prevention systems. They will suspend those who fail to meet the fire fighting and prevention regulations during their next check, which will be conducted from June 30.
This was not Hanoi's first inspection of fire safety at local boarding houses and mini-apartment buildings.
After a fire which caused 56 deaths and 37 injuries at a mini apartment building in Thanh Xuan District last September, local authorities also conducted a check on fire fighting and prevention at these facilities. However, the results have yet to be announced.
On May 24, a fire broke out at a five-storey boarding house in a narrow lane on Trung Kinh Street, leaving 14 dead and six injured.
