Smoke from the fire (Photo: VNA) Berlin (VNA) – A fire that burntdown a warehouse at the Vietnamese Dong Xuan Centre in eastern Berlin, Germany,was extinguished after five hours.
Spokesman of the Berlin fire departmentFrederic Finner said the blaze resulted in no casualties, adding thatauthorities are working to find out how it started.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, NguyenVan Hien, Chairman and CEO of the shopping centre, suspected the fire might havebeen caused by the carelessness of renters of the warehouse during theircleaning work outside.
He stressed fire safety is a top priority atthe market via daily examinations, noting that some people working here don’tfollow safety regulations.
Hien said there were no casualties andreported asset damage was low, but the case is a wake-up call for shop ownersand workers.
Representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy inBerlin went to the scene to keep track of the event and to support the market’sboard of directors.
Ambassador Nguyen Minh Vu said the embassywill continue working with German agencies and the market during theinvestigation of the case.
The local rescue service reportedly receiveda call about the fire at about 12:00 on July 4 (local time). Some 50 fineengines and 200 firefighters were deployed to control the blaze.
In May 2016, a warehouse fire also tookplace at areas managed by Indian businesses at the market.
Established in 2003 by Hien, the 18ha DongXuan Centre is the biggest Vietnamese trading hub in Germany, gatheringthousands of businessmen including Vietnamese, Pakistani and Chineseexpatriates.
In an incomplete survey, the Vietnamesepopulation in Germany amounts to some 176,000, of which about 40,000 live inBerlin.-VNA
VNA
