Residents living in apartment buildings in Hanoi are holding rallies to ask for better fire safety measures after Carina apartment fire in HCM City.   

According to the residents at TNR Goldsilk Complex, there have been many problems with the elevators, pumping system and fire safety equipment since late 2017. There have been a number of false fire alarms. Meanwhile the second to fourth floors which are used for gym, car parking lots and education facilities lack fire safety certification. 

The residents at Hei Tower in Thanh Xuan District brought out banners and went out to the streets to protest against many problems including blocked fire exits and the broken fire alarm system. They held the two-day rally after complaining to the investors, Hanoi Power Corporation & Hanoi Power Investment JSC.

"We spent billions to buy their ‘high-end’ apartments but the fire safety system is sub-standard. Everyone fears that a deadly fire similar to the Carina fire will occur," a resident said.

The residents at Van Phu Victoria Complex have had to deal with various issues in the past years such as contaminated water and poor management work. But most recently, the discovered that the fire alarm system has broken and held a rally on March 30. 

The residents of Golden West Complex gathered in front of the headquarters of Thanh Xuan District People's Committee to complain about their apartment buildings which lack a fire safety certificate.    

Even people living at the high-end apartment buildings Trang An Complex also fear for their safety. On March 20, a fire broke out at an apartment but the fire alarm didn't work. Luckily the sprinklers worked and the fire was extinguished. 

The representative of the residents said, "The fire broke out during the night of March 20 and the management board put up an announcement about it on the next day. We had to ask the investors to hold a meeting to talk about fire safety measures."

However, their request was refused. According to the management board, they must invite an expert or wait until the fire safety drill in April. After the residents put up banners to protest, the investors agreed to meet with them. However, many residents said the investor was only trying to cover up the mistakes instead of fulfilling their responsibilities.

The highest fine for the lack of fire safety certificate is VND80m (USD3,500), a small amount compared to the multi-billion projects and a situation which makes it easy for developers to ignore. Hanoi Fire Safety Department said management must be tightened in early stages by the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the inspectorate of the Department of Construction as well as the local urban management offices.

Residents rally against broke fire safety system

There have been a number of false fire alarms at TNR Goldsilk Complex in Ha Dong District

Residents at Hei Tower protest against fire safety violations

Dtinews/Tien Phong