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Editorial: Alarm bells ring in Taipei 101 fire

Another accident has occurred at the site of the ill-fated Taipei 101 skyscraper, formerly known as the Taipei Financial Center. Yesterday, a fire broke out on the 10th floor, marking the third of such incidents since the resumption of construction last May, when construction was halted after five died in the March 31 earthquake last year.

An explanation needs to be offered for this series of accidents and disasters. Taipei 101 is soon to be the new landmark building of Taiwan and hold two or three of the world's tallest building titles. The building was part of the country's 1993 national development plan and it is Taipei's first-ever build-operate-transfer (BOT) project. So far, as much as NT$50 billion has been poured into this future crown jewel of the city.

Some Taiwanese like to attribute everything to fate. They say landmark highrises are cursed, citing incidents that occurred at the 85-story Tuntex Building in Kaohsiung, the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, and the World Trade Center in New York City, for their various unfortunate occurrences.

Then there are those optimists who view the fire as a good chance for the builders and the building's management to ensure that a fire never happens again. But, wasn't fire safety already one of the main focuses of the improvement plan submitted by the builder for the resumption of construction after the March 31 earthquake?

Both of the above two attitudes described above reflect nothing but denial and fail to address the problem at its roots. Man-made errors and negligence are almost without exception a major factor in any so-called "accident" or "disaster" in major construction projects.

Fortunately, both this time and the last two times fire broke out in the building and no major damage or injuries resulted. Yesterday, the fire was put out within 30 minutes. But, one cannot depend entirely on the mercy of fate or the skill of firefighters.

The Taipei City Bureau of Public Works cannot escape responsibility for dereliction of duty. It is their responsibility to regulate the city's construction projects. When problems occur, they can not be compensated for by the efficiency and the timeliness of the Taipei City Fire Department.

It is both ironic and sad that at a time when Taiwan is striving to leave behind the economic slowdown and attract foreign investment, a misfortune of this sort has happened. Reportedly, even employees of the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE, 證交所), which is supposed to take up seven floors -- eighth through 14th -- of the high-rise are feeling a little anxious about the pending move. Under the circumstances, it is not hard to imagine what kind of impact this can have on all the foreign companies thinking about moving into Taipei 101.

One cannot help but wonder: Just how much has Taiwan learned about the importance of building safety, especially for exceptionally tall buildings, from the devastating 921 earthquake three years ago? In view of the high occupancy of skyscrapers, the immobility of the occupants in them and the high costs of safety facilities, these buildings are vulnerable to begin with.

Therefore, safety precautions above and beyond the call of duty are in order whenever highrises are involved. The people of Taiwan simply cannot afford to be forgetful about the lurking risks and dangers.
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