Lawmakers at the local and national levels were scrambling yesterday to find answers to a deadly blaze in Greater Taichung and laid blame on municipal authorities for allowing the ALA pub to pass 21 safety inspections in the past five years.
Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) apologized for the Sunday morning fire that killed nine people and injured 12.
Investigators have uncovered evidence showing multiple inconsistencies with the fire safety checks.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
Greater Taichung councilors from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) held up banners at the city council calling for a thorough investigation.
Despite Hu’s apology, councilors called on him to step down, pointing to the lax enforcement they said had contributed to the fire.
“By ignoring public safety and treating human lives carelessly ... the mayor and [related] agency heads should step down,” DPP Greater Taichung Councilor Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) said.
Councilors from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) called the request mere political posturing, while Hu said it was too early to make political decisions pending a more thorough investigation.
“I do apologize and I will not escape responsibility,” Hu said.
The blaze has drawn parallels to a devastating explosion in 1995 at the city’s popular Wellcome -Western Cuisine, which claimed 64 lives.
Then-Taichung mayor Lin Po-jung (林柏榕) was reprimanded by the Control Yuan and forced to step down for six months after it was found that city officials had failed to crack down on fire regulation violations.
DPP lawmakers say local agencies turned a blind eye in allowing the ALA pub and other venues to pass fire safety checks.
“Everyone knows this entire street is filled with pubs and not beverage stores ... Who would believe that there wasn’t some kind of kickback scandal here?” DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) asked.
Greater Taichung Prosecutor Wu Tso-yen (吳祚延) said prosecutors would investigate whether city officials may have played a role in the incident. At press time, no official had been questioned by prosecutors.
Wang Ming-che (王銘哲), the operator of the bar, was detained by prosecutors yesterday, while Chu Chuan-yi (朱傳毅), the dancer who is believed to have started the fire during a torch performance, was released on NT$300,000 bail.
Prosecutors said the two would be charged with accidental homicide.
Prosecutors said Chu told investigators the type of torch he used during his “victory firework” performance was too weak to set clothes on fire, unless exposed to for a long time or on a repeated basis.
However, Chu admitted that the torch could start a fire if it came into contact with gasoline, adding that he regretted not conducting a safety check before his performance.
A witness said that when the ceiling caught fire, it caused a fireball that the audience initially believed was part of the show.
Fire safety standards for beverage shops are less stringent than those for nightclubs. Nightclubs are required to have fire-retardant furnishing and be equipped with automatic sprinkler systems when they are more than 27.9m2 — two variables that were missing at the ALA pub, in which as many as 200 attendees were packed at the 99.12m2 location.
The fire in Greater Taichung’s West District (西區) could be a major stumbling block for Hu, who was re-elected in a tightly fought campaign last November.
KMT legislators have also backed calls for Hu to take responsibility for the fire and said they supported a far-reaching investigation by the Control Yuan into any alleged wrongdoing.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) called Hu on Sunday afternoon to discuss the possibility of adding regulations on fire prevention at public venues.
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said it was “necessary” for the -Control Yuan to hold an investigation and called on governments on all levels to comply.
“Hopefully these measures can prevent something like this from occurring again,” Wu said.
The fire has prompted other municipalities, including Taipei City and Greater Kaohsiung, to crack down on pubs and similar venues that violate fire codes.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG AND CNA
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