Nine people were killed and 12 injured in a pub fire in Greater Taichung early yesterday morning, in one of the nation’s deadliest blazes in recent years.
Greater Taichung Prosecutor Wu Tso-yen (吳祚延) said a dancer at the ALA Pub on Jhongsing Street set fire to the ceiling with his torch during a performance, triggering the blaze at about 1:30am.
A survivor surnamed Chen (陳) said that when the ceiling caught fire, it caused a fireball that the audience initially thought was part of the show.
Photo: AFP, Taichung City Fire Bureau
The bar was engulfed in less than three minutes, he said, adding that he had been sitting on the second floor near a narrow staircase before rushing downstairs soon after the fire broke out. Many others sitting on the second floor close to the stage failed to escape, he said.
The fire department said the fire was so intense that temperatures likely went up to 400°C, adding that at such temperatures, exposure for one to two minutes would cause serious burns. It took firefighters about one hour to put out the blaze.
The nine victims — five men and four women — were all found on the second floor. All of them had been overcome by fumes and had asphyxiated, police said.
Investigators and families of the deceased were able to identify the bodies using remnants of their clothes and DNA tests. All the victims have been identified.
More than 70 people had been packed into the small bar, which occupies a floor area of 30 ping (99.17m2).
Eleven of the 12 injured were not seriously hurt and were discharged from hospital after treatment, while one remained in hospital, where her condition was described as non-life threatening.
Wu said prosecutors had brought the 28-year-old performer, Chu Chuan-yi (朱傳毅), back to the pub to recreate his performance to help with the investigation.
A torch likely caused the fire, Wu said. The owner of the bar and bar employees were also being questioned by police.
The club has passed 21 safety inspections in the past five years, the most recent of which was carried out last month, according to the fire department.
Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) said that the city government “must find an answer” as to why the tragedy occurred even though the bar had passed the safety inspections.
The city government bans fire shows at local restaurants and hotels, but not bars, and now plans to apply the ban to other venues, including bars, Greater Taichung Deputy Mayor Hsiao Chia-chi (蕭家旗) said.
Government watchdog officials said they would launch an investigation to determine if the government has failed in its responsibilities.
Meanwhile, the Taipei City Government said it would immediately conduct safety inspections of bars and other entertainment venues in the wake of the fire.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Chen Wei-jen (陳威仁) said owners of pubs, karaoke lounges, dance clubs and similar establishments served with improvement notices would have to bring their facilities into line with safety standards within a specified time.
The inspections will check that indoor public spaces are equipped with appropriate fire fighting equipment and that they have emergency exit routes, fire doors and fire escape ladders, the fire prevention division of Taipei City Fire Department said.
SEARCH CONTINUES: The fighter jet disappeared from radar screens at 3:23pm, about 30 minutes after it took off, air force Major General Liu Hui-chien said Search-and-rescue teams yesterday searched for an air force pilot after his F-16V Block 20 jet went missing during an afternoon bombing exercise near the coastline of Chiayi County’s Dongshih Township (東石鄉), the air force said. The search continued as of press time last evening. The single-seat jet (serial number 6650) disappeared from radar screens at 3:23pm, about 30 minutes after it took off from Chiayi Air Base, air force Inspector General Major General Liu Hui-chien (柳惠千) told a news conference in Taipei. All F-16Vs are temporarily suspended from exercises pending the completion of emergency checks on the fleet, he said. The fighter piloted by
LUNAR NEW YEAR: The nation is expecting 4,200 international travelers to arrive today and 3,900 tomorrow, as people return home for the holidays, the CECC said The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said it expects imported cases of COVID-19 to further increase today and tomorrow — the peak period for international arrivals before the Lunar New Year holiday. The nation has seen more imported cases of COVID-19 since it implemented a new policy on Tuesday requiring travelers on long-haul flights to undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival. Those who test positive are taken directly to hospitals from airports. Most of the recent confirmed cases of COVID-19 were travelers arriving from the US, CECC data showed. On Tuesday, 58 of the 625 travelers arriving at Taiwan
PROTECTION: The New Taipei City mayor said a pass could cover stores, but not eateries, while Ko Wen-je said vaccinated people could be exempted from some rules Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) on Saturday proposed implementing a “COVID-19 pass” regulation that would allow only vaccinated people into certain areas. New Taipei City is planning to require a “COVID-19 pass” for entry to “vulnerable spaces” to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Hou said. Non-students entering elementary schools in New Taipei City are required to show their COVID-19 vaccination cards or proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test. This is for the protection of students under the age of 12, who are not eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, city officials have said. The
TRACEABLE: The expansion of a cluster infection appears to be slowing, as genome sequencing results show a clearer link among confirmed cases, Chen Shih-chung said The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 96 COVID-19 infections: four domestic and 92 imported cases. Three of the domestically transmitted cases are bank workers likely linked to previously reported airport clusters, it added. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, attributed the high number of imported cases in part to the implementation on Tuesday of a tighter entry policy. Travelers arriving on long-haul flights are immediately tested for COVID-19 upon arrival and must wait for results of their rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on site. Those who test negative are allowed to proceed with normal
RSS