Hours after a major fire engulfed an aluminum recycling plant in Minh Hai commune, Van Lam district, on the evening of 28/6, Do Van Phuc, 43, from Lao Cai, was still in shock. One of only four people to escape the blaze, he said he felt "extremely lucky".
Phuc had only been working in Hung Yen for about 20 days and hadn't received his first paycheck. As a new employee, his daily tasks primarily involved cleaning the workshop and transferring oil into drums. He was unsure what the oil was used for or how the boiler inside the workshop operated. The workshop, managed by a Vietnamese individual, employed about 10 workers, mostly from mountainous regions.
The workshop was a temporary structure with a metal frame and corrugated iron roof, located within an industrial cluster. It was situated next to a wood workshop, with an empty field on one side and a large yard in front. The workshop contained large quantities of oil and flammable scrap materials.
Around 1:30 p.m., while transferring oil in the yard, Phuc saw a truck arrive carrying scrap materials, mostly silver-coated nylon bags. These bags were to be processed inside the workshop to extract the silver layer for aluminum recycling. He turned off the pump and went inside to help unload the truck.
"Just a few meters from the entrance, a loud explosion erupted, and flames shot out from inside. I immediately turned and ran. If I had been 10 seconds slower, I wouldn't have made it," he recounted.
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The aluminum recycling plant smoldered for half a day. Photo: Lee Duong |
The aluminum recycling plant smoldered for half a day. Photo: Lee Duong
Outside, he saw three colleagues also fleeing. Two escaped through the front entrance, while the manager ran out the back with his head on fire. Phuc quickly scooped up water and doused the flames, then helped others take the manager to the hospital.
He said he didn't hear any cries for help during the fire, but there were numerous explosions and intense heat. Later, a colleague mentioned that several people were still trapped inside. According to accounts, the fire may have started near the newly arrived truckload of scrap materials.
About 1 km from the scene, Nguyen Van Long, a resident of Chi Dao commune, saw a plume of black smoke and rushed towards the fire. By the time he arrived, three victims had been pulled out. He and others used wet blankets to cover the victims while waiting for emergency services.
Simultaneously, workers at the adjacent wood workshop quickly evacuated materials to prevent the fire from spreading.
About 10 minutes later, firefighters arrived. By then, the fire had engulfed the entire workshop, with explosions sending fireballs and smoke dozens of meters high. The temporary structure and the presence of oil inside fueled the rapid and intense spread of the flames.
Firefighters worked from multiple angles to extinguish the fire, contain its spread, and reach those trapped inside. The firefighting efforts lasted for hours, with the fire repeatedly flaring up. Around 6:45 p.m., hundreds of police officers, soldiers, and militia members were mobilized to assist with firefighting, rescue operations, and material transport.
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Authorities used concrete to extinguish the fire. Photo: Viet An |
Authorities used concrete to extinguish the fire. Photo: Viet An
By that evening, dozens of trucks delivered sand to the scene, which was sprayed directly onto the fire. Authorities cordoned off a 500-meter radius for safety. At 10:30 p.m., nearly 9 hours after the fire began, flames still burned brightly within the wreckage. Authorities continued to pump concrete and sand onto the fire due to the smoldering oil and scrap materials underneath the workshop.
A representative from the Hung Yen Provincial Police Department of Fire Prevention, Fighting, and Rescue confirmed that the fire resulted in four deaths and three injuries.
The four deceased victims were three individuals from Son La province and one from Ha Giang province. Their bodies were expected to be returned to their hometowns for burial on 29/6.
The three injured, all men, were transferred to Le Huu Trac National Burn Hospital in Ha Dong district, Hanoi, with severe burns.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Viet An
