A fire broke out at an electric appliance store on Bui Vien Street, next to Ho Chi Minh City’s Pham Ngu Lao backpackers’ quarter, on August 19. Luckily, there were no casualties.

At 8:10 pm yesterday, a blaze broke out at a store called Anh Thu, 6 Bui Vien street, District 1. Clouds of smoke billowed over the apartment building numbered 4, 6, 8.

The fire brigade wasn’t able to control the blaze until 11pm. A motorbike and numerous products at a refrigerating store on the ground floor were seriously damaged.

Witnesses said that they heard several explosions and saw smoke coming from Anh Thu, which was closed at the time.

The local fire brigade rushed to the scene and used a ladder truck to bring three elderly people trapped on the building’s fourth floor down to safety.

The situation, which was soon put under control, didn’t affect the adjacent Pham Ngu Lao backpackers’ quarter.

According to police, the blaze consumed a total area of 20m2. Some of the refrigerators caught in the blaze had gas cylinders inside, which exploded as soon as they caught fire.

The police are looking into the cause of the fire and are further assessing the extent of property damage.