HCM City, July 8 -- The fire that killed eight people at the Doc Lap apartment complex in Phu Tho Hoa ward was caused by an electrical short circuit due to an improperly connected power line, local police said on July 8.

Initial findings indicate that the fire originated from a self-installed electrical wire supplying power to appliances in Apartment 0.20 on the ground floor. The faulty wiring sparked a blaze that quickly spread to the front of this apartment and the adjacent unit, 0.19. Both flats lacked escape routes, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency.

The Doc Lap apartment block, built in 2008, was not designed with emergency exits for ground-floor units. Investigators also ...