Investigators were yesterday focusing on the possibility that a cigarette butt or a spark caused the blaze that burned nearly 500 people at the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) water park in New Taipei City’s coastal Bali District (八里) on Saturday night when colored powder sprayed from the stage caught fire.
Police recommended criminal charges against the organizer of Saturday’s party, as well as two technicians.
“It’s still not clear what happened, but there were a number of people smoking and the weather was warm,” New Taipei City Government spokesman Lin Chieh-yu (林芥佑) said.
Temperatures in Taipei and New Taipei City topped 36°C before the party.
The three tonnes of colored starch-based powder bought by the organizers from Tai Won Co (臺旺食品公司), a seller in Yunlin County, were flammable, Tai Won representative Chou Hui-fang (周慧芳) said. She said the buyer was informed about the risk of fire.
“Whether it is corn starch or flour starch, this kind of stuff, no matter how long it’s been around, if it’s in dense quantities and if it’s hot, it can catch fire,” Chou said.
She said her four-year-old company has been questioned by the police and health officials, but was not considered at fault.
“We didn’t know what the buyers were going to do with it or how much they would use,” she said. “It might have been supplies for a whole year.”
Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) on Sunday banned use of the powder at future private events. The water park has also been ordered to close after the fire.
Police recommended charges of professional neglect and public endangerment for party organizer Lu Chung-chi (呂忠吉), who was arrested and released on bail of NT$1 million (US$32,073) and restricted from leaving the country.
Police also recommended charges for the stage hardware technician and the person responsible for shooting off the powder. Bail of NT$300,000 was set for each of them.
Officers questioned another two individuals involved in the event, but did not recommend charges, Yan Bo-jen (顏伯任), a media liaison official from the Luzhou Precinct of New Taipei City Police Department.
Prosecutors have also seized the assets of the water park and of the party organizers, Yan said.
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