Disaster

1 dead 2 injured in migrant worker dormitory fire

man jumps from second floor to escape fire
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A female migrant worker died and two people were injured after a fire engulfed a dormitory in Changhua City late last night, Sunday, March 19. Changhua County Fire Bureau received reports of a fire at a three-storey residential building on Zhangnan Road at 10:54 pm. The fire bureau dispatched 21 vehicles and 45 personnel to the scene of the fire. According to the preliminary investigation, a the fire started on the first floor of the building and four people were

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More than 500 people evacuated after kitchen fire in luxury hotel

smoke from fire at Hotel Royal Ch
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Three people sought medical treatment for smoke inhalation, and more than 500 guests, visitors, and staff were evacuated from a luxury hot springs hotel in Yilan County last night after a fire broke out in a basement-level kitchen. Yilan County Fire Department received reports of a fire at the Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi in Jiaoxi Township at around 7:30pm yesterday, Thursday, March 9. The hotel’s marketing and public relations manager told media that all 438 guests, 30 restaurant customers, and

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Factory fire leads to school evacuation, classes suspended for one day

Plume of thick, black smoke from fire at tire recycling plant
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

An elementary school was evacuated yesterday, and classes will be suspended today, after a fire in a nearby tire recycling factory emitted a plume of thick, black, toxic-smelling smoke in Bali District, New Taipei City. The New Taipei City Fire Department received reports of a fire at the Xianxiang Technology Company tire recycling factory on Guanhai Avenue at 1:52 pm. 72 vehicles and 155 personnel were dispatched to deal with the fire. Four employees were sent to hospital with minor

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148 schools report damage after 6.4, 6.8 magnitude quakes strike Taiwan

damaged elementary school after earthquake
Earthquakes 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Taiwan’s Ministry of Education reported that 148 schools around the country had reported damage after a series of earthquakes struck the east coast over the weekend, with two quakes over magnitude 6. More than 140 earthquakes have shaken Taiwan since the first, a magnitude 6.4 tremblor, struck in the north of Taitung County Saturday evening. More than 70 aftershocks were felt Saturday night and Sunday before a destructive 6.8 magnitude quake struck in Chishang Township at 2:44 pm. As of

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4 people rescued from collapsed building after destructive earthquake strikes eastern Taiwan

composite image showing collapsed building and person rescued
Earthquakes 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Firefighters in Hualien County successfully located and extracted four injured people after a building collapsed when a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the area today, Sunday, September 18. Hualien County Fire Department sent a search and rescue team to the scene of the disaster in Yuli township after receiving reports that a three-storey mixed commercial and residential building collapsed after the earthquake struck at 2:44 pm. Staff and customers of a 7-11 convenience store on the first floor had all evacuated the

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8 family members dead after arson attack in Hsinchu City

fire engulfs tire shop and residence
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Eight people are dead, including four children, after a man set fire to his family’s home in Hsinchu City last night, June 15. Hsinchu City Fire Department received reports of a fire at a residence and tire shop on Dongda Road shortly after 10:00 pm. Firefighters brought the blaze under control and the fire was fully extinguished at around 11:00 pm. Firefighters entered the building and found eight charred bodies in the second-floor residence. According to reports, among the dead

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Huge warehouse fire produces volcano-like plume seen up to 20 kilometers away

composite image showing fire and smoke plume
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , ,

A fire at a logistics center belonging to one of the largest supermarket chains in Taiwan destroyed more than 66,000 square meters, and produced a plume of smoke that could be seen as far as 20 kilometers away, Monday, March 14. The Taoyuan City Fire Department received reports about a fire at the Carrefour Yangmei Logistics Distribution Center in Yangmei Youshi Industrial Park at 7:33 am. TCFD dispatched 35 vehicles and 73 personnel to the scene of the fire. The

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Multiple fatalities after residents trapped in apartment building fire: one man survives fall from 6th floor

composite image showing building on fire and people trapped on awning
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Six people are confirmed dead, and seven were injured, after a fire in a residential building in Taichung City this afternoon, Sunday, March 6. Taichung City Fire Department dispatched 22 vehicles and 85 personnel from eight fire stations after receiving reports of a fire in a 7 storey building on Xingzhong Street in Central District at 4:30 pm. Dramatic scenes unfolded as two men and one woman escaped from an apartment on the 7th floor and stood precariously on a

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Residential gas explosion leaves 1 dead, 2 injured in New Taipei City

composite image of explosion and firefighters
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

An elderly woman died, and her caregiver and a neighbor were injured, after a gas explosion tore through an apartment in Banqiao District today, February 21. New Taipei City Fire Department received reports of a blast followed by a fire in a first floor apartment in a lane off Xianmin Boulevarde at 12:39 pm. Twenty-five vehicles and 68 personnel were dispatched to the scene. A 34-year-old foreign caregiver and a 20-year-old Taiwanese man were found injured and rushed to hospital.

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Quarantine death hotel building to be demolished

Qiaoyou Building Changhua City
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The building that housed a hotel used for COVID-19 quarantine until four people died in a fire after being told to stay put in their rooms will be demolished by the end of the year, the Changhua County Government announced yesterday, February 15. In June 2021, a fire broke out in the empty bottom floors of the building, leading to the death of three quarantined hotel “guests,” and a firefighter who went to their assistance after hotel managers told them

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1 dead, 3 injured after residential gas explosion in New Taipei City

firefighters in debris-filled alley
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

One woman died, and three other people were injured after a gas explosion in a New Taipei City apartment early this morning, February 14. Residents in the vicinity of Xinming Street in Xindian District were awoken by a loud explosion at 4:14 am. Firefighters responded to reports of the explosion and fire in a fourth-floor apartment of a 5 storey building. The fire was brought under control and extinguished at 4:29 pm. A 46-year-old woman, named Zhou was found in

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