6 Foreign Workers Confirmed Dead After Fire in Suspect Factory Dorm

Six Vietnamese workers are confirmed dead after a fire at a factory in Taoyuan in the early hours of this morning, December 14. All six remains were found on what is suspected to be an illegally constructed dormitory on the second floor.

The fire broke out at around 2:00am. Preliminary investigations point to an electrical transformer box in the second floor stairway as the ignition point. The staircase appears to have been the only exit from the dormitory.

Witnesses said that people jumped out of windows to escape the blaze. Five people were hospitalized. Initial reports stated that 6 people were trapped in the building. Later, the remains of two people were found, and by noon, all six were confirmed dead.

The auto parts factory building consisted of a first floor which was stacked with plastic materials, and a second floor dormitory constructed of sheet metal. The total floor space of the building was 300 ping, with the second floor dorm being 120 ping. Taoyuan government building inspectors told reporters that the first floor of the building was legally constructed.

According to various media reports including Apple Daily, the second floor appears to be unregistered, and is suspected to be illegally constructed.

Taiwan English News is an independent publication with no corporate funding. If you found this article informative, and would like to support my work, please buy me a coffee or support me on Patreon. Subscribe to Taiwan English News for free to receive the latest news via email. Advertising queries are welcome. Share, like, comment below.