A fire, suspected to have been started by welding sparks, gutted an eatery in the southern province of Dong Nai on Friday, killing six and leaving one hospitalized from suffocation.

The fire started at around 2:00 pm on Friday at an eatery named RuBy in Long Khanh Town in Dong Nai, 75 kilometers northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.

Firefighters and local residents joined hands to put out the fire, which was extinguished after nearly an hour of nonstop efforts.

Seven people who were inside the venue at the time of fire were rescued and rushed to hospital with symptoms of suffocation

As of 4:30 pm the same day, six of the victims had been announced dead, while the remaining one is still in deep coma, according to Long Khanh police.

Firefighters rescue a victim from a fire at an eatery in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam on December 21, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Dr. Phan Huyen, director of Long Khanh Genera Hospital, said the patients were admitted with severe conditions including cardiac arrest, apnea and gas asphyxiation.

Doctors are working hard to save the only remaining survivor from the flame, Huyen said.

Rescuers had to break through concrete walls of the eatery to reach the victims as there weren’t any emergency exits.

The victims’ prolonged exposure to extreme heat and toxic gases might have depleted their chances of survival, police said.

A nurse attends to a victim from a fire at an eatery in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam on December 21, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Owner of the eatery, Pham Nguyen Khanh Duy, told authorities he had hired a team of welders to repair and upgrade some areas of the building prior to the tragedy.

Sparks from welding activities are suspected to have started the fire.

Police have detained the team leader, 29-year-old Cao Van Toan, for investigation into his gross negligence.

Toan was not present at the eatery to monitor his team members when the accident occured, as he was running a personal errand.

A column of smoke arises from an eatery in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam on December 21, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Police officers inspect the site of a fire at an eatery in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam on December 21, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

An eatery in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam is gutted after a fire on December 21, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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