Thanh Xuan District requires removing motorbikes and electric bicycles from mini apartments

Hanoi: Checking mini apartments and high-rise rental houses, Thanh Xuan district authorities requested to move motorbikes and electric bicycles on the first floor to prevent fire and explosion.

At the meeting of the City Party Committee with the districts on the afternoon of September 21, Chairman of the Thanh Xuan District People's Committee Vo Dang Dung said that after the fire at the mini apartment building in lane 29/70, Khuong Ha Street, the district had conducted a preliminary check and found about 90 mini apartments and 1,800 high-rise rental houses, divided into many rooms. Among the rental houses, there are hundreds of 8-9-storey establishments, with 40-50 households and they are still managed by the investor.

To prevent fires, the district's inspection teams have requested the removal of motorbikes and electric bicycles on the first floor of mini-apartments and multi-apartment boarding houses. "If all of them are removed, that's good, otherwise, 70-80% must be removed," Mr. Dung said, explaining that statistics show that 90% of fires on the first floor are due to electrical short circuits and short circuits in motorbike batteries.

However, Mr. Dung did not mention where to move motorbikes and electric bicycles, while the number of vehicles in each mini apartment building is very large, like the burning building had about 90 vehicles of all kinds. When going to check, the authorities also encountered fierce reactions from the residents. They said that the buyers have the right to live and park their vehicles on the first floor.

Chairman of Thanh Xuan District People's Committee Vo Dang Dung. Photo: Thanh Xuan Electronic Information Portal. — Chairman of Thanh Xuan District People's Committee Vo Dang Dung. Photo: *Thanh Xuan Electronic Information Portal.*

At the conference, Mr. Dung said that in addition to the solution of moving motorbikes and electric bicycles, the district also required investors to install fireproof doors on the first floor staircase and exit doors to prevent smoke from spreading into the hallways of the floors in case of a fire.

The first floor is also equipped with a large capacity fire extinguisher; the stairway to the top floor is not locked, only latched so that the door can be easily opened if necessary. Residents are advised to equip themselves with rope ladders and hinged windows that can be opened.

The Chairman of Thanh Xuan District proposed that the city strengthen equipment and have comprehensive solutions for fire prevention and fighting in mini apartments and multi-storey boarding houses in the form of mini apartments.

Motorbikes are parked on the first floor of a mini apartment building in Thanh Xuan district. Photo: Ngoc Thanh — Motorbikes are parked on the first floor of a mini apartment building in Thanh Xuan district. Photo: *Ngoc Thanh*

Proposing a temporary solution to minimize the risk of insecurity for mini apartments, Director of the Department of Construction Vo Nguyen Phong suggested that the city assign districts to request investors to arrange enough space for two-wheeled vehicles. Investors should review the parking area of the project, applying the parking area design for multi-storey, multi-apartment individual housing as for apartment buildings.

According to Mr. Phong, multi-storey, multi-apartment individual housing projects must review and rearrange the entire parking area, ensuring space for motorbikes and bicycles for each apartment. In case there is not enough parking space for the number of apartments/residents in the building, there must be a plan to park outside.

In addition, investors of mini apartments and multi-storey boarding houses need to separate the parking area from the apartment lobby and staircase; separate the parking area from the elevator lobby and staircase with fireproof and smoke-proof walls, and separate it from the emergency exit...

On the night of September 12 to the early morning of September 13, a 10-story mini apartment building with 45 apartments on Khuong Ha Street, Khuong Dinh Ward caught fire, killing 56 people and injuring 37 others. On September 20, the Hanoi Police Investigation Agency announced that the fire was caused by a "short circuit in the power line in the battery area" located at the front of the scooter.

Vo Hai

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