Three people were killed and another injured in a fire at a furniture factory in Taichung’s Situn District (西屯) yesterday morning.
The factory owner, a 70-year-old man surnamed Kuo (郭), survived with second-degree burns covering about 30 percent of his body, and is being treated at Taichung Veterans General Hospital.
His 68-year-old wife, surnamed Feng (馮), their 31-year-old son, and Kuo’s 51-year-old nephew, surnamed Cheng (鄭), did not survive.
Photo: Tsai Meng-chuan, Taipei Times
The couple had moved into the factory after Feng had a stroke, so that her son could better take care of her, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) told reporters.
The two-story tall factory, which manufactured sofa frames, had a significant amount of flammable material, which worsened the fire and made rescue efforts challenging, Taichung Fire Bureau Director-General Sun Fu-You (孫福佑) said.
The fire spread to two warehouses, covering an area of about 2,000m2 and causing losses of more than NT$2 million (US$62,819).
The fire broke out at about 5am and was not controlled until 7:14am, before being extinguished at 9:01am, Sun said.
Family members and neighbors who rushed to the scene told reporters that Kuo, a former adviser to a neighborhood watch group, and Feng had raised five children.
The night of the fire, Kuo was sleeping in the front reception area, which enabled him to escape more easily, while his son was in the back room caring for his ailing mother.
Lu expressed his condolences to the family, while directing government agencies to provide support.
In the immediate aftermath of the blaze, downwind areas reported elevated levels of PM2.5 (particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter). The Department of Environmental Protection lifted the air pollution alert at about noon yesterday.
The 500m2 factory opened in 2016, but from March 2022 to August this year was under a supervised improvement plan, the Taichung Economic Development Bureau said.
It was originally unlicensed, but was later certified under a program to register unlicensed businesses.
At the time of the fire, it was not in operation and was being used as a storage warehouse.
Kuo was modernizing the factory’s fire prevention systems, such as installing fire extinguishers and emergency exit lights, and environmental protection capabilities, before the blaze occurred.
The fire bureau said it passed an inspection in November last year.
Additional reporting by CNA
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