The fire broke out at around 2pm at a karaoke bar at No.68 Tran Thai Tong Street in Cau Giay District, and quickly spread to three neighbouring buildings, that included a restaurant, fashion store and karaoke bar. Hundreds of firefighters were sent to the site and struggled to bring the fire under control by 7pm. The bodies of the deceased were taken out close to midnight.
Upon hearing of the fire, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked Hanoi authorities to oversee the search and rescue effort, and the city police to investigate the incident. He also asked for stricter management over the operation of and fire prevention within karaoke bars and restaurants.
