Three teenagers killed in 'tube house' fire in Vietnamese capital Hanoi

Image from the fire incident courtesy of Vietnam News/ANN.

HANOI (Xinhua): Three young teens died in a fire that engulfed a six-story house in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Saturday, according to Hanoi People's Committee.

The fire broke out at around 5am local time in the house situated in an alley off Tho Quan Street. At the time of the incident, the couple owning the house were out, leaving three 12-year-old at home.

After receiving the fire report, eight fire trucks were dispatched to the scene, but the alley was too narrow for them to enter and firefighters had to put out the blaze from its mouth, the Dong Da police said.

The fire was put out after five hours, and the staircase from the second floor to the sixth floor of the house collapsed.

The last victim was removed from the scene of the fire at around 11 a.m. local time on Saturday.

Usually with only one exit and inadequate safety standards, Vietnam's so-called "tube houses" face severe fire threats, with records of some fatal fire incidents.

But Known as nha ong, which means "tube house," these homes are among the most popular types of buildings in streets of Hanoi, the Vietnam capital. - Xinhua