No way out, elevator holes turn into rooms
According to Lao Dong Newspaper on Quang Tien Street (Dai Mo Ward, Nam Tu Liem District) - an area with many houses for rent - many businesses are facing the risk of being forced to stop operations because they do not meet fire prevention and fighting requirements (PCCC).
Mr. Tran Tien - the owner of a boarding house here - said that during the inspection at the end of 2024, the authorities discovered many violations at his facility such as not ensuring access for fire trucks, lacking solutions to prevent the fire from spreading between stairs and corridors, the fire alarm system and the fire hydration water tank were not complete...
Not only in Nam Tu Liem, through inspections in many other districts, the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department (Hanoi City Police) discovered that the subjective and negligent situation in fire prevention at boarding houses is still common.
For example, in Tay Ho district, after inspecting 1,496 boarding houses, the authorities have fined 3 cases of fire prevention and fighting violations with a total amount of 10.5 million VND; and fined 8 violations at apartment buildings, the amount of up to 241 million VND.
Notably, among the 19 multi-apartment houses ( mini apartments) and 290 businesses with high fire risk inspected, many places still have violations such as not ensuring escape routes, violating regulations on fire prevention and fighting structures.
Typically, in Phu Thuong ward (Tay Ho), inspecting 5 motel and boarding house businesses, the authorities all recorded negligence in complying with fire prevention and fighting regulations.
In particular, at a motel in lane 16 An Duong Vuong, despite being reminded many times to build a fireproof wall and repair a closed staircase according to regulations, the owner has not yet done so. The fire and smoke alarm systems are also out of effect due to run out of batteries.
Another case at alley 42 An Duong Vuong, a 5-storey house of only over 30m2 but divided into 8 rooms, with no way out. Even the elevator waiting hole is being used as a room, increasing the risk of disaster if a fire occurs.
Strengthening propaganda and guidance on overcoming violations
In order to limit the risk of fire and explosion, the People's Committee of Dai Mo ward, Nam Tu Liem district coordinated with the Nam Tu Liem district police to organize a conference to propagate and guide measures to ensure fire safety for the " boarding house" model in the area.
Talking to reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung - Vice Chairman of Dai Mo Ward People's Committee, about 200 landlords in the locality are regularly propagandized and reminded to comply with fire safety regulations and skills in handling emergency situations.
At the conference, representatives of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team, Nam Tu Liem District Police, pointed out the limitations of fire safety in boarding houses. At the same time, firefighters disseminated legal documents related to fire prevention and fighting that landlords need to carry out.
In addition, the authorities also guided solutions to overcome the shortcomings of fire prevention and fighting at boarding houses according to the regulations of the City People's Committee and the City Police.
In particular, the measures mentioned include improving escape routes, arranging emergency exits, opening exits in tiger cages, preventing fires from spreading in parking areas and equipping fire fighting equipment. These contents were guided by the working groups during the recent general inspection of the boarding house model, and at the same time required the landlord to commit to full implementation.
