At least 5 dead, 50 injured after KTV fire in Taipei City: Alarms and sprinkler system were switched off

Fifty four people were sent to hospital, and 5 have been declared dead after a fire at a popular KTV in Taipei City today, April 26.

The Taipei City Fire Department dispatched 56 fire appliances, 23 ambulances, and 192 personnel to the Party World KTV on Linsen North Road in Zhongshan District after the fire was reported shortly before 11:00 am.

According to the preliminary investigation, the fire broke out on the 5th floor of the 14-storey building, trapping people on the higher floors.

A total of around 200 people were evacuated from the building, with 54 people sent to hospital. Seven of the injured were without signs of life (OHCA). Five people have been declared dead, and two are in a critical condition.

According to reports, the fire started on the fifth floor where a construction project was underway, and flammable building materials accelerated the blaze. An empty elevator shaft then resulted in a “chimney effect” spreading smoke to the higher floors.

The fire alarm and sprinkler system was turned off at the time of the fire, and firefighters suspect that the operators of the KTV or the construction personnel had turned off the system.

Wang zheng-xiong ( 王正雄 ) of the Taipei City Fire Department said that the fire equipment including smoke exhaust system, sprinkler system, alarms and internal broadcasting system had all been shut down. It is absolutely illegal and constitutes a “serious case of human negligence.”

A man rescued from the 7th floor told reporters that he was one of a group of 15 students who were alerted by other customers that the building was on fire. As the area began to fill up with smoke, they to open a fire escape sling, but the case was locked. The group then sought shelter in a bathroom, soaking clothes and surgical masks with water to filter the smoke while awaiting rescue.

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