On Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Public Security, in coordination with the Da Nang People’s Committee, held a large-scale fire emergency response drill involving multiple forces and specialized vehicles at the Wyndham Soleil Da Nang hotel and Valve House T of Petrolimex Da Nang.

The drill mobilized 1,146 personnel and 93 specialized vehicles of various types.

The exercise scenario involved an explosion and fire at 9:30 am on Wednesday in the auxiliary kitchen of a restaurant on the third floor of the 50-story Wyndham Soleil Da Nang hotel.

The fire was caused by a gas leak, with a spark generated while an employee was cooking triggering an explosion and subsequent fire.

The blast caused part of the ceiling structure in the auxiliary kitchen to collapse, sending the fire down to the second floor and up to the 3M floor.

The fire spread rapidly, with smoke and toxic fumes engulfing the building and rising to the upper floors, causing around 1,000 hotel guests to panic and try to escape via the stairwells.

Along with the hotel fire, the drill also simulated an accident on Vo Nguyen Giap Street in front of the Wyndham Soleil Da Nang hotel and the National Assembly guesthouse. 

A truck carrying containers of chemicals crashed, spilling them onto the road and posing a risk of leaks and environmental contamination.

At Valve House T, a fire broke out during a fuel-loading operation, causing a large blaze.

The automated fire alarm system immediately sent alerts simultaneously to the C07's Command Information Center, the Da Nang Police Command Information Center, PC07 and Firefighting Team 2, the nearest unit. 

Dozens of specialized vehicles and numerous officers and soldiers took part in firefighting and rescue efforts, using aerial ladder trucks to rescue people trapped on upper floors. Search dogs were also deployed to look for victims.

Medical teams also joined the operation. The city’s Military Command, PC07 under Hue City Police and Quang Ngai Provincial Police were also mobilized.

A highlight of the drill was the TAF35 firefighting robot, a modern machine remotely controlled to enter areas with intense heat and heavy smoke that are difficult for people to reach. 

The robot can spray water as far as 80 meters at a rate of 4,700 liters per minute.