Nearly 3,500 join major fire drill at factory in Ho Chi Minh City

The large-scale drill was held at Timberland Co., Ltd., a member of Hong Kong-based Manwah Group, in Tan Hiep Ward under a plan approved by the city's administration.

The exercise simulated a fire breaking out at a warehouse containing finished wooden products and other flammable materials while around 1,500 workers were inside the factory, according to the municipal police.

The simulated fire was assumed to spread rapidly to surrounding areas, requiring firefighters and other forces to evacuate and rescue people trapped inside while containing and extinguishing the blaze.

The drill was conducted in three stages, with the participating forces operating under unified command to search for and safely evacuate all simulated victims before bringing the fire under control, the organizers said.

It enabled authorities, local agencies and business leaders to review their responsibilities for fire prevention and firefighting, while allowing specialized forces to assess actual conditions and improve coordination and operational procedures for handling emergencies, according to the organizers.

Major General Nguyen Thanh Huong, deputy director of the department and head of the drill's steering committee, said the city's wood industry is an important economic sector, with nearly 1,000 businesses, annual exports worth billions of U.S. dollars, and tens of thousands of workers.

However, wood-processing facilities often have large, interconnected production areas and production lines, meaning fires can spread rapidly and cause major damage, Huong said.

Several fires have occurred at wood-processing factories in the city and other parts of Vietnam in recent years, highlighting the need to improve fire prevention and preparedness in the sector, according to the municipal police.

Huong said an effective response to such incidents requires the timely coordination of multiple forces and vehicles to contain fires and minimize damage.

The drill at Timberland was the first of two large-scale firefighting and rescue exercises planned for the city in 2026, he added.