A major explosion on Tuesday night burned down about half of a chemical plant in Lujhu Township (蘆竹), Taoyuan County, as firefighters battled the flames for more than five hours before bringing the blaze under control.
The fire started at the manufacturing complex of TNC Industrial Co (台硝化工公司).
As the inferno spread, it ignited spectacular fireball explosions, some as high as 10-story buildings. Fearing for their lives, many residents rushed out of their houses and ran to safety.
Photo: Chiu Yi-tung, Taipei Times
“The whole place was on fire and burning red hot. The flames kept getting higher and higher,” a resident said.
The fire became a major concern for the authorities as the plant is only 3km from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Fortunately, no flights were affected, but the proximity of the plant allowed some flight passengers to capture the fire and the explosions on their cameras.
A total of 150 firefighters and 55 fire engines from 30 different units were dispatched to contain the blaze. It was eventually extinguished at about 4am yesterday.
A firefighting unit spokesperson said the fire likely started at a storage area, and as the plant produces nitrocellulose and other flammable materials, the flames quickly spread to engulf much of the facility.
A preliminary survey found that the fire and explosions had destroyed about half of the plant, with the cost of the damage put at about NT$15 million (US$500,000).
As the company had registered stockpiles of methyl isobutyl ketone and other toxic chemicals, the Taoyuan County Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) sent its Hazardous Incident Response Unit to provide support.
The unit later reported air quality in the area was still within acceptable limits.
Another official said although half of the plant was destroyed, the rest of the facility was still operational. However, an investigation is to be conducted to determine if the company was at fault and if there are found to have been serious violations a shut-down order could be issued against TNC Industrial.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique