Hanoi (dpa) – Eleven people were killed in a fire that was allegedly deliberately set in a tea house with a karaoke bar in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. Seven others were rescued and taken to a hospital, local media reported, citing police and fire departments. A suspect was therefore arrested.
The fire broke out around 11 p.m. (local time) on Wednesday. The three-story building with a roof terrace and an adjacent workshop were largely destroyed. The flames blocked the victims' way out.
Suspected arsonist is said to have confessed
Before the fire, a 51-year-old guest got into an argument with other visitors and employees, it said. Out of anger, the man went to a market in the area and bought gasoline.
He then used it to set a fire on the first floor of the building and fled. The suspect, who had a previous conviction for robbery and theft, was later caught. He is said to have made a confession.
Deadly fires often occur in the Southeast Asian country because smoke detectors or fire extinguishers are often not installed. Last year, 56 people died and dozens were injured in a residential building in Hanoi in one of the worst fire disasters in Vietnam's history.
