A fire broke out around 11pm last night at a motorcycle shop on Mincyuansin Road in Yilan City, Yilan County, damaging five buildings and sending nine people to the hospital.
All 14 people residing in the buildings were able to escape and those sent to the hospital have no serious injuries.
Photo: Yu Ming-chin, Taipei Times
The Yilan County Fire Bureau dispatched 23 emergency vehicles and 40 firefighters to deal with the situation, which nearby residents described as “terrifying,” with large flames and explosions
The fire was under control by 11:24pm and extinguished by 11:37pm, the fire bureau said.
The owner of the motorcycle shop, surnamed Chen (陳), said that he and his wife were resting in the back when they heard explosions, and rushed out to find the fire had already started.
Although the motorcycle shop and four neighboring buildings were damaged by the fire, all 14 residents, including two families of five, escaped safely.
Seven adults and two children were sent to the hospital as a precaution due to suspected smoke inhalation.
The Fire Investigation Department visited the site at 1:30pm today to investigate the cause of the fire, and nearby surveillance cameras have already been checked, the fire bureau said.
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