More than 2,000 people from 15 provinces and cities in northern Vietnam along with about 100 vehicles and two helicopters were mobilized for the largest-ever firefighting exercise in Quang Ninh Province on Sunday.

The firefighting and rescue drill was organized by the Ministry of Public Security and the authorities of Quang Ninh Province.

The hypothetical situation for the drill was that at about 9:00 am on Sunday, an employee of Wyndham Legend Hotel in Bai Chay Ward, Ha Long City, Quang Ninh detected a fire caused by a gas blast in the kitchen on the fifth floor of the hotel, pulling down an area on the same floor.

As smoke, dust, and poisonous gas blanketed the site, some 800 people on different floors of the building sought escape routes in panic.

At the same time, an accident happened on the Ha Long Street section in front of the hotel in which the driver of a petrol tank truck lost control and crashed into a chemical tank truck traveling in the same direction.

The collision caused the petrol to spill out and nitric acid to leak outside and spread to the nearby Hai Van Hotel.

Local authorities later detached vehicles to transport sand bags and fire trucks to the scene. The sand bags were placed around the area to deal with the gasoline and chemical spill incident.

Meanwhile, the rescue of victims at Wyndham Legend Hotel was still ongoing as more than 300 people escaped from the establishment but some 500 others were still stuck inside. 

The authorities of Quang Ninh’s neighbors, such as Hai Phong, Hai Duong, and Bac Giang, also gave support. 

Two helicopters of the Vietnamese air force were dispatched to the scene to rescue victims on the roof of the building.

Meanwhile, in the waters of Cua Luc Bay in Ha Long City, another accident occurred between two boats transporting tourists as their captains were absorbed in the fire ashore.

The collision led to a boat blaze and oil spill and caused many people aboard to fall into the sea.

After an hour, the fires were extinguished thanks to the efforts of over 2,000 people together with modern firefighting equipment.

The fire drill involved many new scenarios and strict requirements in responding to difficult situations on the mainland, at sea, and in the air, said Bui Van Khang, vice-chairman of the Quang Ninh People’s Committee, chief of the organizing board of the fire drill.

All forces cooperated closely and employed practical and efficient solutions for successfully dealing with the situations, Khang added.

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