VietNamNet Bridge – At nearly 2pm on June 3, columns of smoke and fire covered a tank truck parked in a filling station on Tran Hung Dao Street, Hanoi. Over three hours later, the tanker was still burning and posed explosive threats.

Some witnesses said at over 1pm, fire rose from a tanker which was refueling the gas station. Few minutes later, smoke and fires covered the whole area. As the gas station is located near the Military Hospital108, the street was blockaded.

At 2.15pm, fire from the tanker remained strong, with big bangs. Over 50 fire policemen tried to control the fire, with the support of nearly 10 fire trucks.

A four-seat car parking in the petrol station was burned down. A nearby two-storey beer shop and 6-7 motorbikes in the front were also destroyed by fire. Three employees at the gas stations were injured in their hands and faces. They were brought to the hospital for emergency aid.

At 2.30pm, gasoline spilled from the tanker, making the flames more intense. Many policemen had to use fire extinguishers or feet to extinguish the fire that was spreading with the flow of fuel on the road. Hundreds of people stood hundreds of meters from the site to observe the fires.

At 2.40pm, policemen used a 20m ladder truck to approach the fire from the tennis court behind the gas station. Thus, the fire was no longer fierce as before.

At 3.30pm, the tank truck was still on fire. The police used water cannons to control the fire. Fire fighters and local night-watchmen used black sand to block the fire from the tanker.

At 4pm, firefighters shouted with joy when the fire was under control; no black smoke rose.

At 4.15pm, the fire was totally controlled but water and petrol covered the road. The road remained blocked.

When firefighters were cleaning up the scene, the smoke flared up again, covering the tanker. Dozens of policemen rushed to put out the fire.

VietNamNet’s reporters are still at the scene to update information.

Some photos of the fire:

PV

Photo: VNN/VNE/TT&VH