HANOI, Sep 17 (VNExpress) - Owner of a karaoke parlor in the southern Binh Duong Province was arrested Friday night, held responsible for a fire that killed 32 people last week.

Le Anh Xuan, 42, owner of the An Phu parlor, is facing charges of violating fire safety regulations. Police have been conducting searches at his house in HCMC that borders Binh Duong.

The arrest came eight days after police launched a criminal investigation into the fire, which occurred at around 8:30 p.m. on September 6, with around 60 customers and employees inside the three-story parlor.

Investigation found the fire started from a short circuit in the ceiling of the second floor, then empty, and spread to the third floor.

Many people had to jump off a balcony on the second floor to get to safety. Dozens were injured and 32 people died, all bodies found in the third floor.

Xuan received his business license in 2015. Three inspections in 2019, 2021 and 2022 concluded that the parlor satisfied fire safety standards.