The Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation (EVNHCMC) has called on local residents not to burn waste near power grids to ensure safety of the people and the city’s power distribution networks.

EVNHCMC made this move after power grid fires and massive blackouts occurred as a result of some local residents burning waste and votive papers in areas through which power grid systems pass.

Two incidents like this have been reported in the city in the year to date, resulting in widespread outages, Bui Trung Kien, deputy head of EVNHCMC, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday morning.

The first one took place on February 2 when passers-by discovered a huge fire on the Pham Van Dong Boulevard section running through Ward 13, Binh Thanh District due to local people burning waste under the Rach Lang Bridge.

The flames then spread to part of an electric wire bundle, causing a power failure in the area and neighboring sites.

The second was reported on February 21 in an area under the Dien Bien Phu Bridge in District 1.

Underground electric cables in the area caught fire from the remains of votive papers that local people had burned on the bridge.

These underground electric cables supply power to inner-city areas, including the headquarters of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

Aside from causing massive blackouts, such incidents could also pose a threat to passers-by, Kien said.

Statistics from state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) showed that the country last year reported 79 power-related accidents due to locals’ violations of power grid safety regulations.

These accidents left 30 dead and 65 others injured.

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