VietNamNet Bridge – Residents of apartment buildings in the capital city are getting restless after a deadly blaze claimed 13 lives in the upscale Carina Plaza in HCM City last week.

Residents of the upscale Trang An Complex in Cau Giay hung out red banners on their balconies, asking building’s owner to take responsibility for the recent fire incident taking place that raised questions over the quality of the building’s fire safety system.

Most of them are either fearful of the non-functional and ill-maintained fire equipment or the fact that the building itself has not passed fire safety tests.

Recently, residents in the apartment buildings of Trang An Complex (Cau Giay District) hung out red banners on their balconies, which read, “Take care of the fire. Do not blame the residents”, to protest what they deemed an irresponsible attitude on the part of the building owner following a fire incident on March 20.

The Trang An Complex’s apartment building was marketed as an upscale project, but when the fire ripped through the apartment 904, not one fire alarm was raised, which caused residents in the complex to question the quality of its safety system.

Nguyen Tuan Linh, who lives on the 15th floor, said when he went down to the ninth floor to offer help, he was surprised to see that electricity was still on even though fire sprinklers were already in action.

“What if others like me, who went to help, were electrocuted due to this failure?” Linh said.

The lacklustre response of the complex’s owner, GP Investor, after the fire did little to assuage the incensed residents.

Bui Manh Ha, Director of GP Investor, claimed the fire did not last long enough for the alarm system to kick in, adding not all components of the fire safety system will be activated at the same time in case of a fire.

Meanwhile, witnesses said the fire lasted for at least five to seven minutes before being put out.

The fire in HCM City’s Carina Plaza a few days later only worried the residents more and they started to buy fire equipment in droves.

Trang An complex is among 10 projects that have failed fire safety regulations--lack of emergency exits, a proper fire venting system, as well as insufficient fire prevention measures--even though the construction was completed long back, according to a list of offenders released by the Hanoi firefighting police earlier last year, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Elsewhere in Hanoi, those living in highrises have started taking action on their own.

Residents of Capital Garden on Truong Chinh Street followed suit, sticking red banners everywhere on the first floor of the building, demanding the owners to start taking fire threats seriously.

According to the residents, they had moved in at the end of 2017, but the building still did not pass fire safety tests. They said they had submitted several complaints to the owner but did not get a proper response.

After the tragic fire on March 23 in HCM City, the Hanoi People’s Council organised a working group to inspect fire safety in the two newly developed districts of Bac Tu Liem and Nam Tu Liem, which have a high concentration of apartment buildings.

Residents of the Capital Garden apartment building in Truong Chinh Street displayed red banners on cars and walls of the building’s first floor to demand the building owner’s to comply with fire safety regulations as the building has not passed fire safety tests. — VNA/VNS Photos Hoang Duong

Nguyen Hoai Nam, head of the legal department of the municipal People’s Council, said fire safety was not just the responsibility of the building owners. People’s lack of awareness, especially regarding firefighting techniques and escape/evacuation steps, was also a problem.

Nam said buyers were willing to shell out large amounts of money for an apartment while completely trusting the investor. Not many residents are even aware if the building has passed fire safety tests, he said.

He also cited “loose inspection” on the part of the fire authorities that allowed unsafe buildings to continue operation.

Hanoi currently has more than a thousand high-rise buildings. Apartment buildings having 20-40 floors are popping up in multitude throughout the city’s districts, most notably in Hoang Mai, Thanh Xuan, Cau Giay and Nam Tu Liem.

However, it’s worth mentioning that the highest range a fire brigade can reach is 14-15th floor. Meanwhile, on-site fire safety equipment, as evident in the two previous cases, leave a lot to be desired, putting residents’ lives at serious risks. 

Source: VNS