Apartment fire in Nha Trang triggers panic among hundreds of residents

Residents of the Muong Thanh Vien Trieu apartment complex in the coastal Nha Trang city escape from their accommodations as fire breaks out on Dec. 17, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Toan

Smoke began to billow from an apartment located on the 25th floor of the Muong Thanh Vien Trieu complex’s OC3 building at 6 p.m. It only took the fire a few minutes to intensify, causing the fire alarm to ring and prompting hundreds of residents inside the complex to seek escape.

The building’s electrical system was consequently cut off, leaving the elevators operating for a brief while before stopping. Many residents had to evacuate using the stairs.

“Countless people were running in panic, creating chaos,” Thao, a resident living on the 28th floor, said. “Some were injured from falls, and others got trapped in the elevators.”

She added that her family rushed downstairs upon hearing the fire alarm and shouted warnings to other residents.

More than 50 firefighters and five fire trucks were quickly dispatched to the scene. Ladder trucks could not reach the apartment in which the fire initiated, so dozens of firefighters, wearing oxygen masks and carrying specialized firefighting equipment, had to approach the scene via the stairs.

Dozens of firefighters are mobilized to the site. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Toan

The fire was eventually brought under control after 30 minutes. No mortality cases were reported, and several injured people were taken to the hospital. One person, who was trapped in one of the building’s elevators for nearly 20 minutes, was also rescued.

The apartment where the fire initiated was occupied by a teacher couple. They managed to escape when the fire broke out and sought help from the building’s emergency response team. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Muong Thanh Vien Trieu complex, located on the coastal Pham Van Dong street, consists of 5 apartment buildings and a hotel. The building where the fire occurred is 40 floors high and accommodates around 500 residents and tourists.