An initial investigation has pointed to a deep fryer as the source of a fire at a food factory in Changhua County that killed seven workers and left three in a critical condition, a fire department official said on Wednesday.
Changhua Fire Bureau investigation division head Shih Guei-pan (施貴般) said that statements from survivors of Tuesday’s fire at a Lian Hwa Foods plant indicated that a fryer on the facility’s second floor might have caused the blaze.
However, investigations were ongoing, Shih said.
Photo: CNA
The fire broke out at about 6am, trapping 22 employees before firefighters arrived.
Changhua Fire Bureau chief Shih Shun-jen (施順仁) said that all employees had been pulled out of the building by about 10:10am, but 10 of them had no vital signs.
All those rescued from the fire were rushed to hospitals, including Changhua Hospital and Yuan Rung Hospital, for emergency treatment.
Seven workers were declared dead upon arrival at hospital, including three migrant workers from the Philippines, the county government said on Tuesday.
Changhua Hospital on Wednesday morning said that medical staff had resuscitated three individuals who were not breathing and had no heartbeat when they arrived at the hospital.
Two of them, a 26-year-old man surnamed Chen (陳) and a 33-year-old Filipina have regained consciousness and their conditions are not life-threatening, while the other, a 49-year-old woman surnamed Hsu (許), had not yet regained consciousness and remained in a critical condition, the hospital said.
In the wake of the fire, the Ministry of Labor — which has since 2020 flagged 26 breaches of labor rules during 57 visits to Lian Hwa’s five factories — said it would inspect the company’s facilities this week.
Ministry records show that it fined Lian Hwa NT$60,000 in 2022 after it was determined that machinery and equipment at the company’s site in Taoyuan was likely to endanger workers.
Occupational Safety and Health Department head Chu Wen-yung (朱文勇) told reporters on Wednesday that in addition to the Changhua facility, the ministry would conduct occupational health and safety inspections of Lian Hwa’s other factories in Keelung, Hsinchu County, Taoyuan and Chiayi County.
The ministry is also planning a thorough inspection of similar food factories this year, with a focus on risks arising from manufacturing processes and equipment defects, Chu said.
Meanwhile, the Changhua County Government said it would fine Lian Hwa NT$60,000 to NT$300,000 for failing to schedule a public safety inspection for the factory last year.
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