Up to 14 people have been killed while 60 others have been injured in the apartment fire in HCM City early Friday according to the city's Department of Health.

The incident happened at Carina Plaza apartment building on Vo Van Kiet Street in District 8 at around 1:30 am.

The fire broke out from the basement floor

More than 200 firefighters and 34 fire trucks were sent to the scene but were unable to reach several of the residents inside the building. The fire was put out by 4:30 am.

The building’s 22,000-square-metre basement with its 1,000 square metre parking area was completely ruined, along with the 150 motorbikes and 13 cars parked inside.

Many of the rescued residents said they heard no fire alarm sound and the fire sprinkler system just didn’t work. They only recognised the fire when the smoke and heat reached the 14th floor.

A resident said that the fire alarm system had not worked since 2016, which was reported to Hung Thanh Company, the building investor. However, nothing has been done to improve the situation. Meanwhile, Nguyen Phuc, a representative from the investor, claimed that the system was checked by the HCM City fire department every six months. The company said that they would verify the information that the system did not work when the fire happened.

Hundreds of vehicles destroyed in the fire

The apartment block saw no fire incidents in a decade, the investor said.

At the press conference chaired by the HCM City Party Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan this morning, March 23, Nguyen Thanh Huong, deputy head of the municipal fire department, said that the anti-fire door which can help to prevent smoke from the basement into other floors had been deliberately kept open when the fire occurred. It was the reason why smoke quickly spread.

Party Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan mentioned the necessity for people in apartment buildings to take part in emergency drills in order to learn what to do in such incidents.

Families of people who died in the accident received VND20 million (USD909) each from local authorities, while the injured received VND3-5 million each.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.