Fire hits Xa La buildings, no human casualties

No human casualties were reported. The fire was said to break out at the basement of 32-storey buildings CT4A and CT4B, triggering a series of blasts and huge black smoke billows. The smoke was said to quickly climb up and cover higher levels of the two buildings and of building CT4C.

More than 10 fire engines, 200 firefighters and 6 ambulances were deployed to the scene to subdue the fire. At nearly 10p.m, the fire was put under control, yet thousands of people remained stuck on high levels of the buildings due to the smoke. Some fainted but then were quickly carried to the ambulances.

At about 11:30 p.m, all of the residents were successfully excavated from the buildings. The fire’s damage is being estimated and its cause is under investigation. We’ll keep you updated about the fire in our next bulletins.