Fire Devastates Poor Village in Central Vietnam

A fire that blown up quickly in the midnight Jan 18 in Nha Trang city of Vietnam’s central province of Khanh Hoa ruined more than 40 houses in a poor fishing village on the outskirts. The state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that the flame started at the house of a household at a time the owner was cooking while overslept. It quickly flared up to neighboring houses due to flammable materials like wood. Firefighting forces were unable to reach the site due to small and poor roads as the village is located on a small islet called Nhat Tri, which accommodates nearly 1,400 households with more than 7,000 people. The fire has left hundreds people homeless and penniless after some hours. At about 2.30am o n Jan 18, the fire was generally controlled. Khanh Hoa’s authorities planned to remove people in Nhat Tri isle for a five-star hotel and entertainment complex project but caught public protest. (Tuoi Tre – Youth Jan 18, Plo.vn Jan 18)