A fire drill was carried out at a fuel depot in an outlying district of Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday.

Hundreds of officers from the municipal Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention participated in the exercise at the Nha Be Oil Depot, which is owned by Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex), in Nha Be District.

According to the scenario, a thunderstorm caused lighting to strike one of the fuel tanks, resulting in an explosion, followed by an inferno.

The fire quickly spread to nearby areas and could not be put out with on-site firefighting equipment.

After being notified of the fire, the firefighting department dispatched nearly 300 officers and dozens of fire trucks to the facility.

The flames were extinguished after 30 minutes, and the remaining fuel tanks were safe from the fire.

Nearly 300 firefighters were mobilized for the mission. Photo: Tuoi Tre

According to Colonel Le Tan Buu, director of the city’s Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention, the Nha Be depot is an essential facility capable of storing hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of oil, thus ensuring its fire safety is an important mission.

“Although the drill was successful, real-life situations can be far more complicated. Officers are required to practice regularly to minimize consequences when disasters occur,” Col. Buu said.

Firefighters extinguish the flames at one of the fuel tanks. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A victim of smoke inhalation is being rescued by firefighters. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Many fire trucks were dispatched to the facility. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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