A Keelung firefighter early today died after giving his breathing mask to a woman who was trapped in a burning residential building, although she also eventually died, authorities said.
The apartment complex in Keelung caught fire at about 10pm last night, resulting in the two deaths and one injury, while three other people were taken to hospital for precautionary checks, the Keelung City Fire Department said.
The fire broke out on the second floor of the six-story apartment complex on Leli 3rd Street in Keelung’s Anle District (安樂), sending up thick smoke and trapping a woman inside, the department said.
Photo copied by Lin Chia-tung, Taipei Times
Forty-one-year-old Chan Neng-chieh (詹能傑), a squad leader with the department’s Ren-ai Branch, entered the burning building for a third time at about 1am and found the woman pinned on the floor by debris and barely breathing, it said.
He gave her his oxygen mask to breathe, but lost consciousness due to excessive smoke inhalation, the department said, adding that rescue personnel found him among the debris at 2am and rushed him to hospital for emergency medical treatment.
Chan had experienced prolonged oxygen deprivation and was pronounced dead shortly before 5am, after medical staff spent 50 minutes trying to resuscitate him, Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital superintendent Wu Chun-te (吳俊德) said.
Meanwhile, the 34 year-old woman, surnamed Lo (羅), was pulled from the building at 5:40am, but she had no vital signs and was also declared dead, despite resuscitation efforts, the department said.
A preliminary investigation has ruled out arson and it is suspected that the fire was caused by a short circuit in an intercom near the living room entrance, it said.
The situation was worsened by a large amount of recycled clothing stored inside the home, which was highly flammable and caused the fire to spread out of control, the department added.
Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) this morning visited Chang Gung Memorial Hospital to offer his condolences to the families of the deceased and to visit the injured.
Hsieh said he was grateful for Chan’s sacrifice and his dedication to protecting the lives and safety of the city’s residents.
The city government would make every effort to secure the best compensation and benefits for his family and would seek to have him honored at the martyrs’ shrine, he said.
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