A fire engulfed a makeshift house in suburban Hanoi on Thursday evening, killing a 35-year-old mother and her two children, aged 12 and 5, authorities confirmed on the same day.

The fatal blaze, accompanied by an explosion, swept through the house at around 6:00 pm in Tu Hiep Commune under the outlying district of Thanh Tri, a leader of the Thanh Tri administration told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Following the explosion, the house collapsed, the leader added.

The family has four members, all from the northern province of Nam Dinh.

At the time of the incident, a man rushed outside, shouted for help but no more members were seen getting out, according to the Tu Hiep administration.

The man was burned and was sent to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.

Police in Hanoi cited the injured man as saying that the family was using a machine to press scrap metal but they accidentally pressed a nearby hairspray bottle, leading to an explosion and then a fire.

Prior to the incident, the makeshift house was used to store scrap metal, some local inhabitants told the authorities.

On behalf of the Vietnamese government, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the same day extended his deepest condolences to the bereaved family.

The government leader asked the Hanoi administration to timely offer assistance to the bereaved family and cope with the aftermath of the deadly incident.

He demanded that authorities in provinces and cities nationwide tighten efforts to check the compliance with fire safety rules among businesses and households to minimize fire risks.

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