The fire consumed a 500-square-meter house on 10A Street in Binh Tan District after breaking out at around 11:00 pm on Thursday, according to the local fire department.

In no time, the flames tore through the house and destroyed five metric tons of flammable clothes the owners had stored inside. Luckily, the house was unoccupied at the time of the incident.

Seventy officers from Binh Tan District’s Fire Department and backup personnel from neighboring Binh Chanh district were dispatched to the scene.

Authorities were finally able to declare the fire under control at 2:39 am on Friday.

During the incident, a wall of the house was weakened and collapsed killing Senior Lieutenant Pham Phi Long, 31, on the spot.

Two corporals, 24-year-old Pham Tan Quoc and 20-year-old Bui Van Dung, were also severely injured.

The remains of the house on 10A Street in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City after the fire on September 8, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

According to Colonel Le Tan Buu, director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Fire Department, four officers entered the building to inspect the source of thick smoke billowing out from inside.

After the wall collapsed, only one was able to make an escape while the other three were trapped in the rubble.

Senior Lieutenant Long is survived by his four-year-old child and pregnant wife.

The municipal fire department says it is making arrangements to organize a funeral for the late officer.

Police are working to investigate the cause of the fire.

The remains of the house on 10A Street in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City after the fire on September 8, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The remains of the house on 10A Street in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City after the fire on September 8, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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