A fire disrupted business at the Core Pacific City (
Taipei City Fire Department officials have ordered the shopping center to remain closed until the cause of the blaze is confirmed and an emergency safety inspection is carried out.
The facility is forbidden to open its doors until the inspection is complete, Chang Po-ching (張博卿), the fire department director said.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The blaze was the first in the mall since it opened at the end of last year.
After the mall's fire alarm system was triggered, the shopping center was evacuated. No casualties were reported.
The Taipei City Fire Department deployed ladder trucks to put out the blaze as heavy smoke filled the 15-story, sphere-shaped shopping mall.
The fire department confirmed that the blaze broke out in the electricity room on the third floor of the center and that it was extinguished about 30 minutes later.
There were an estimated 20,000 people in the mall when the fire broke out, Juan Hsin-yi (
Juan said there were fewer people than normal in the center at the time because the Lunar New Year holidays had just ended and it was not peak shopping time.
On weekdays, the average number of customers in the center is 60,000, while that figure jumps to over 100,000 during weekends and on holidays, according to a Chinese-language report.
The 44,000-ping (145,000m2), 1,000-retailer Core Pacific City has attracted a great deal of attention since it opened its doors last year amid some controversy.
The facility opened to the public despite lacking an operating license.
The mall then failed to pass the city's safety inspection one month before its "official" opening day on Dec. 20.
The mall was finally granted an operating license by the city government on Dec. 19.
It was the first shopping center in Taiwan to provide round-the-clock service.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS