Fire at hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City
Saturday, November 03, 2018, 16:10 GMT+7
A raging fire was seen at a hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday afternoon as guests, most of whom foreigners, ran for their lives.
Witnesses reported seeing fire and thick black smoke rising from the A&EM Hotel on Thu Khoa Huan Street in District 1, only a four-minute walk from Ben Thanh market, from 1:00 pm on Saturday.
Xuan, a construction worker on a building opposite the hotel, said he was the first one to discover smoke coming from the hotel and alerted others.
The fire consumed top floors of the building minutes later, as foreigners could be seen dashing out of the hotel carrying their luggage.
Fire and smoke rise from a hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on November 3, 2018. Video: Tuoi Tre
Dozens of firefighters and many fire trucks responded to the scene shortly after.
According to a leader of District 1, at the time of the fire three welders were hired by the hotel to make iron doors on one of the top floors.
It is suspected that these workers had caused the fire from welding sparks generated during the job.
The trio has been summoned by police in Ben Thanh Ward in District 1 for questioning, as no casualties have been reported by authorities.
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| A firefighter sprays water at a fire at a hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on November 3, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| The top floors of a hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City is burnt down after a fire on November 3, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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