Hundreds of residents fled the Vung Tau Centre Apartment Building in panic through fire escapes. People from neighboring areas said they saw black smoke billowing from the transformer station while the basement and stairways were covered by clouds of smoke.

As soon as the alarm was raised, fire engines and hundreds of fire fighters were mobilized to the scene to extinguish the blaze and prevent explosion risks due to short circuits.

The apartment residents had not been able to return home till 10pm. Vung Tau-Sai Gon Trade Joint Stock Company is the investor of the Vung Tau Centre Apartment Building, which has been put into operation for nearly two years.