Three firefighters killed saving eight hailed as heroes

A nation mourns: (From left to right) Quan, Viet and Phuc.

Dang Anh Quan, 45, Do Duc Viet, 24, and 19-year-old Nguyen Dinh Phuc are the three brave firefighters killed in the line of duty after rescuing eight people from a burning building.

Yesterday hardly anyone knew their names. Today they are national heroes, remembered by a nation, and posthumously rewarded for paying the ultimate price.

As the six-storey karaoke bar was engulfed in flames, the trio rushed in without a second thought to save those inside.

But, after leading a group of construction workers to safety, a roof inside the karaoke bar on Quan Hoa Street in Hanoi’s Cau Giay District collapsed, leaving them trapped.

Today, as their families, friends and colleagues come to terms with the loss, tributes have poured in.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc led the condolences, extending his deepest sympathy to the families of the fallen.

Quan was the head of the Fire Prevention and Control Team of Cau Giay Police.

At his family home after the news broke, Quan’s mother, Tran Thi Thuy, was inconsolable.

Fighting back more tears, the 68-year-old said when she heard the news about the fire, she knew her son would have been leading the team to tackle the blaze.

Viet, 24, hit the headlines four years ago, when he was spotted helping elderly women cross the road in blistering heat. At the time, he told the press what made him happy was being able to help others.“We always supported Viet after learning he wanted to become a firefighter, but we never thought this would happen,” his father said.

At 19, Phuc is the youngest of those killed. His father died when he was small and his mother is the only other family member.

“Phuc was a very good boy. He always tried to do everything to make his mother happy,” a friend said, adding that before tackling the blaze at the karaoke bar, Phuc had helped extinguish another fire that morning. — Vietnam News/ANN