2002 Ho Chi Minh City ITC fire

On 29 October 2002, a fire occurred in the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The six-story building was occupied by a luxury department store, a disco and offices of several foreign companies.[1] The fire killed 60 people and injured 90 others, making it one of the deadliest peacetime disasters in Vietnam.[2]

2002 International Trade Center Fire
Local firefighters dealing with the fire
Native name Vụ cháy Trung tâm Thương mại Quốc tế 2002
Date29 October 2002 (2002-10-29)
Timec. 13:30 (UTC+07:00)
VenueInternational Trade Center
Location101 Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa st., Bến Thành, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Coordinates10°46′26″N 106°41′59″E
TypeConflagration
CauseWeld spatter
Deaths60
Non-fatal injuries90
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History of Ho Chi Minh City
Before 1955
1782 Saigon massacre (1782)
Gia Định province
Siege of Saigon (18 February 1859 – 25 February 1861)
Battle of Ky Hoa (February 1861)
Treaty of Saigon (1962)
Treaty of Saigon (1874)
Battle of Saigon (1955)
Vietnam War
1960 South Vietnamese coup attempt (11 November 1960)
Operation Chopper (Vietnam) (12 January 1962)
1962 South Vietnamese Independence Palace bombing (27 February 1962)
Self-immolation of Thích Quảng Đức (11 June 1963)
Double Seven Day scuffle (7 July 1963)
Xá Lợi Pagoda raids (21 August 1963)
1963 South Vietnamese coup d'état (1–2 November 1963)
Arrest and assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem (2 November 1963)
Attack on USNS Card (2 May 1964)
1964 Brinks Hotel bombing (24 December 1964)
1965 United States embassy bombing (30 March 1965)
1965 Saigon bombing (25 June 1965)
Operation Jackstay (26 March – 6 April 1966)
Operation Fairfax (November 1966 - 15 December 1967)
Viet Cong attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base (4–5 December 1966)
Tet offensive battle of Cholon and Phu Tho Racetrack (31 January-11 February 1968)
Tet offensive attack on Joint General Staff Compound (31 January-1 February 1968)
Tet offensive attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base (31 January 1968)
Tet offensive attack on US Embassy (31 January 1968)
Battle of West Saigon (5–12 May 1968)
Battle of South Saigon (7–12 May 1968)
Hijacking of Pan Am Flight 841 (2 July 1972)
Bombing of Tan Son Nhut Air Base (28 April 1975)
Operation Frequent Wind (29–30 April 1975)
Fall of Saigon (30 April 1975)
After 1975
1996 Asian Judo Championships (9 to 10 November 1996)
1999 Badminton Asia Cup (10–14 November 1999)
Ho Chi Minh City ITC fire (29 October 2002)
2005 AFC Futsal Championship (22 May – 4 June 2005)
2005 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships (29 August – 4 September 2005)
2012 Vietnam Open Grand Prix (20–26 August 2012)
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Building

The building had been insured since 1997, the Reuters news agency reported, for a total value of 12.3 billion Vietnamese đồng (about 800,000 USD) at the time of the fire.

Inferno

The fire occurred on Tuesday, 29 October 2002, beginning at 1:15 p.m. local time (0615 GMT). Thirty fire engines and 40 ambulances surrounded the building. Intense heat and flames prevented firefighters from entering the building for about four hours. It took firefighters more than five hours to extinguish the inferno. Bodies were still being recovered from the site late that day.

According to officials in the Vietnam People's Army, firefighters were not adequately equipped to fight the fire and lacked water to put out the flames. Power in the area was cut off and streets were cordoned off. Flames raged at the windows, sending dense black smoke into the sky as workers fled for their lives, many down steel ladders reaching up from fire trucks below. Others jumped out of the windows.[1]

The next day, police barricaded the building, to keeping onlookers at bay. At least five fire fighting vehicles were at the site on Wednesday, although none were in use.

The fire killed 60 people and injured 90 more.

Two welders were later arrested for causing the fire. They had been working at the disco on the second floor, and it was suspected that sparks from their equipment may have started the blaze.[3] Along with their supervisor and their employer, they were charged with "violating regulations of fire prevention and combating". They were found guilty, and the court imposed sentences of 2 to 7 years in prison.[4]

International reaction

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji: "I am shocked to learn of the big fire that occurred in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam ... On behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in my own name, I extend my deepest sympathy and sincere condolences to you, and through you, to the bereft families."[5]

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana: "Europe is shocked to hear about the inferno and whole Europe extends its deepest sympathies to the families of those, who lost their lives."

Pope John Paul II sent a message expressing condolences to the families of victims of the fire in Ho Chi Minh City.[6]

U.S. President George W. Bush: "I am shocked to learn of the big fire that took the lives of so many innocent people in Ho Chi Minh City. Let us express our sympathy to the families of the victims."

Pakistan Information Minister Sheikh Rashid: "We offer our heartfelt sympathies to those who suffered due to the inferno."

See also

References
  1. "Dozens killed in Vietnam blaze". BBC News. 29 October 2002. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  2. "Fifteen years on from the horrors of catastrophic blaze that rocked Saigon". VnExpress International. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  3. "Welders arrested over Vietnam fire". BBC News. 1 November 2002. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  4. "Culprits of ITC inferno receive 2 to 7-year prison sentences". Viet Nam News. 14 June 2004.
  5. "Chinese Leader Expresses Sympathy over Ho Chi Minh City Fire", People's Daily (English version), November 2, 2002, Retrieved September 23, 2007.
  6. "Papal condolences to families of Vietnam inferno victims Archived 2006-02-26 at the Wayback Machine", Catholic News (Sourced from UCA News), 5 November 2002. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
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