Angry guest allegedly set fire: Eleven people die in karaoke bar fire

By Jörg Vogelsänger

Hanoi - Eleven people have died in a suspected deliberate fire in a teahouse and karaoke bar in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

A surveillance camera shows a person hurrying towards the karaoke bar with a canister. A short time later, a fire is blazing there.
A surveillance camera shows a person hurrying towards the karaoke bar with a canister. A short time later, a fire is blazing there.  © Bildmontage/Screenshot/X/@Franceatpresso2

Seven others were rescued and taken to hospital, local media reported, citing the police and fire department. One suspect was arrested.

The fire broke out at around 11 p.m. (local time) on Wednesday. The three-storey building with a roof terrace and an adjoining workshop were largely destroyed. The flames had blocked the victims' way out.

Before the fire, a 51-year-old guest got into an argument with other visitors and employees, it was reported. Out of anger, the man went to a local market and bought petrol.

He then used it to start a fire on the second floor of the building and fled. The suspect, who had previous convictions for robbery and theft, was later caught. He is said to have confessed.

Fatal fires are not uncommon

Fatal fires occur frequently in the Southeast Asian country, as smoke alarms 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.