A violent fire occurred at Samho Vietnam Co., Ltd., a fully South Korean-owned sport shoe maker in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi District, on Friday evening and lasted for over seven hours before it was extinguished early this morning. The violent fire broke out at 8:30 pm at the company, located in the district’s Trung An Commune, creating a tall smoke column and many loud explosions, initial sources said. The blaze reportedly began in a two-floor factory and rapidly spread to other facilities nearby thanks to inflammable materials there.

Hundreds of workers who were in the factory and other nearby facilities were evacuated. More than 100 firefighters and dozens of fire engines were deployed to the scene from Cu Chi and other nearby districts, and also from Ho Chi Minh City’s neighboring Binh Duong Province.  

The fire is seen spreading inside Samho Vietnam Co., Ltd., in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi District. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Rescuers and ambulances were also sent to the area. At 12 am Saturday, a ladder fire truck was deployed to the scene to support the fight against the fire. About an hour later, 50 staffers from the company were deployed to remove the company’s goods and materials from the area. Firemen tried their best to extinguish the violent fire but they could not put it out until about 3 am Saturday, March 7, according to news website Dan Tri. Samho Vietnam, which makes sport shoes for export, employs more than 10,000 workers.  Competent agencies are investigating the cause of the blaze.

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