The blaze broke out at about 7.15 am at a house at 84 Le Loi Street. Four people were inside at the time, but only two managed to escape.
The building was used both as a home and a shop selling electrical goods and was packed with merchandise. It sits on Le Loi Street, a busy commercial road with heavy pedestrian and traffic flows.
Within about 10 minutes, thick black smoke had engulfed the entire building.
Rescue teams with dozens of personnel quickly arrived at the scene. Because the house was deep and long, making it difficult to access from the front entrance, firefighters sprayed water through multiple windows on different floors to contain the flames.
Authorities deployed five fire engines and two ladder trucks to tackle the blaze. By 10.30 am, smoke was still smouldering inside the building.
At around 11 am, the fire was largely brought under control. The ground-floor frontage was left with only a bare metal frame and signage, while several trees on the pavement outside were partially burned.
Shortly after midday, ladder trucks were raised to the sixth floor to bring out the remaining victims trapped inside.
By 1 pm, emergency services were still spraying water and cooling the area to fully control the fire and ensure the safety of nearby residents and buildings.
