Air quality is gradually improving after a fire at an electronics warehouse in New Taipei City on Tuesday released harmful pollutants into the air, causing an acrid smell across areas of greater Taipei, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said on Wednesday, although experts still advise wearing a mask when going outside over the next couple of days.
At about 2:30pm on Tuesday, firefighters responded to a call about a fire in the basement of an electronics warehouse in Shenkeng District (深坑), New Taipei City Fire Department Commissioner Lee Ching-an (李清安) told the city council.
About 250 firefighters battled the blaze, which spread up through the third story of the building until they were able to control its spread after 5pm and extinguish it at about 6:30pm, he said.
Photo: Weng Yu-huang, Taipei Times
Residents were evacuated and no one was injured, he added.
However, firefighters were still putting out lithium batteries that had reignited several times throughout the evening, reports said.
Personnel from the city’s Environmental Protection Department arrived at about 3:50pm to take air quality readings, department Commissioner Cheng Da-wei (程大維) said.
Photo copied by CNA
By 6pm, areas downwind of the blaze in Sindian District (新店) had seen a sharp increase in particulate concentrations of up to 60 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3), he said.
The stretch from Sindian through Jhonghe District (中和), Yonghe District (永和) and Taipei’s Jingmei area (景美) were the most affected, he added.
The department over Facebook advised residents to close their doors and windows, wear a face mask when outside and avoid staying outside for too long, he said.
Pollutant levels began to fall by 9pm, and by 7am on Wednesday, meters were reading 10µg/m3, he said.
However, winds are to be slight over the next two days, meaning that the pollutants are to disperse slowly, Cheng said, advising people in the affected areas to minimize their outdoor activities.
As for the business, if an investigation determines the fire was due to negligence, it could be penalized, he added.
Nearby schools have been unaffected, but students and teachers are advised to wear face masks when needed, New Taipei City Education Department Commissioner Chang Ming-wen (張明文) said.
Although pollution readings have returned to normal levels, the public is still concerned about safety, Hou said, adding that officials would continue to monitor the situation and provide updates.
Separately, a physician reiterated the call to avoid going outside and close windows, as it is still unknown the types of pollutants that were released.
If there were plastics that burned, it could have released carcinogenic dioxins, while lithium batteries could have produced hydrogen fluoride, which can irritate or damage the respiratory tract, said Yen Tsung-hai (顏宗海), director of Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital's Department of Clinical Toxicology.
When going outside, Yen advised wearing an N95 mask.
Additional reporting by CNA
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