A large fire has destroyed 74 houses and left 400 people homeless in the Vietnamese beach town of Nha Trang, a Ward Chairman, Nguyen Van Cuong said on Wednesday.
The local official told newsmen that the fire broke out about 10.30 p.m Tuesday (1530 GMT) at a slum in the Vinh Phuoc area of Nha Trang city.
Local media also reported that the fire started when residents who were cooking animal feed fell asleep.
It added that the slum’s narrow alleyways prevented fire trucks from making a timely response.
According the media, the fire, believed to be the biggest on record in the city, lasted for about four hours.
“Residents of the slum, many of whom are impoverished fisherman, lost most of their possessions,’’ Cuong said.
Nha Trang is the main tourist attraction of Southern Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa province, which recorded 3.6 million visitors in the first nine months of 2016, according to government statistics. (Dpa/NAN)
ACO/DUA