On 27/1, Associate Professor Doctor Pham Van Quang, head of the Intensive Care and Toxicology Department at Children's Hospital 1, announced the girl passed away last night. She was declared brain dead after a period of intensive resuscitation. Three days earlier, she was admitted in critical condition, having suffered prolonged brain oxygen deprivation leading to cardiac arrest.

The girl's mother, 32 years old, is currently receiving critical care at Cho Ray Hospital, with a high risk of mortality. Doctor Ngo Duc Hiep, head of the Burns Department, stated the patient is in a deep coma, with loss of brain function and irreversible damage due to prolonged cardiac arrest at the scene before hospitalization. The patient also sustained 22-40% body burns, with significant carbon soot in her airway, cerebral edema, and diffuse cerebral ischemia.

The mother and daughter were the most severely injured victims in the fire.

The family's remaining victim, a 6-year-old girl, is undergoing treatment at Children's Hospital 2. She suffered approximately 35% body burns, hypovolemic shock, and respiratory failure. Currently, the child requires continuous hemodialysis, mechanical ventilation, and is under close monitoring by pediatric specialists.

Patients receiving intensive care. *Photo by Quynh Tran*

The three family members were victims of a fire that erupted in the early morning of 24/1, on the 5th floor of the EHome S apartment building in Long Truong ward, Thu Duc City. When rescue forces breached the door, all three were unconscious due to smoke inhalation and burns. The mother experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and was successfully resuscitated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation at Le Van Thinh Hospital before being transferred to Cho Ray Hospital, but the resulting brain damage was severe.

Le Phuong