Eleven, foreigners included, rescued from Ho Chi Minh City hotel fire

November 10, 2015 | 14:52

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Rescuers saved 11 people, including some foreigners, from a fire that raged at a multistory hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday evening.

The fire broke out on the fifth floor of the nine-story Kim Linh Hotel on Bui Thi Xuan Street in District 1 at about 6:30 pm.

No casualties have been reported so far.

A large number of firefighters, five fire engines and a ladder truck were sent to the scene to put out the blaze.

The power supply to the area was cut for safety reasons.

As black smoke rose up from the fifth floor, many people on lower levels rushed out of the hotel, while others on higher floors cried out for help in panic.

Many people broke glass doors to avoid inhaling smoke from the flames while waiting to be rescued.

A truck ladder was used to save people stuck in the fire at Kim Linh Hotel in District 1,
Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of November 9, 2015. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire after 15 minutes and took 11 people including staff and guests of the hotel to safety, said Hoang Thanh Ha, deputy head of the District 1 Fire Prevention and Control Department.

Of the 11 people, eight were carried out by the ladder truck and the remaining were rescued via the staircases, Ha said.

Many of the rescued people were foreigners, according to news website VnExpress.

Initial sources said the fire erupted from a mattress in a room on the fifth floor, with agencies concerned adding that they are investigating the exact cause.

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