Fire Breaks Out at Taichung Residential Building 興中街集合住宅大火 住戶爬遮雨棚待救援

A fire broke out at a residential building on Xingzhong Street in Taichung on March 6. Six people died and six more were injured.

Residents climbed onto awnings to escape the fire as smoke billowed out behind them. They held onto nearby pipes and window frames as they awaited rescue. Fire trucks equipped with ladders did not immediately arrive at the scene, and firefighters on the ground sprayed water on the two people to cool them down. However, the water slickened the awnings, making them more dangerous. Another person awaiting rescue could not endure the heat, and dropped down from a window. Luckily, a roadside vehicle was able to cushion his fall and he only sustained injuries to his lower backbone and face.

The thick smoke could be seen from several kilometers away. The two people atop the awnings were successfully rescued with just mild smoke inhalation once a ladder truck arrived. Nearby residents were astonished by the slow pace of the rescue.

Resident: “(What happened with the ladder truck?) It looks like it broke down. It was parked over there and didn't move. Did you see it?”

The fire burned from the afternoon into the night. Firefighters rescued people from the first floor, roof, and elevator. They also searched floor by floor, and found six people without vital signs.

Chen Le-i, Dep. Captain, Seventh Corps, Fire Bureau, Taichung City: “We conducted a floor-by-floor search. We had to break down some doors in order to search. We found six people that had suffered OHCA (out-of-hospital cardiac arrest).”

This building used to be a hotel, and the city's Urban Development Bureau says it previously investigated an illegal rooftop structure in 2009. There are reports that the building was subdivided into 40 suites that were rented out, and the city had not received any complaints or issued any fines. The Fire Bureau said six people were killed and six were injured in the fire, and the cause is under investigation.

 

住戶爬到屋子外頭的遮雨棚上，背後還不斷有濃煙竄出，雙手只能緊握一旁的管線和窗架，等待消防隊救援。雲梯車第一時間沒有出現，消防人員先從地面用水柱沖灑2人身體降溫，但腳站的遮雨棚濕滑，也讓一切更險象環生，另外一名也在等待救援的男子因為高溫難耐，從高樓窗台墜落，所幸有路邊的車輛當作緩衝，只有腰椎和顏面受傷、沒有生命危險。

遠在幾公里的大樓外，都看得到濃濃黑煙，所幸兩名住戶最後順利搭乘雲梯車獲救，只有輕微嗆傷，但附近住戶也質疑現場的搶救速度。

現場民眾說：「（記者：雲梯車怎麼了)好像壞掉了，雲梯車停在那邊沒有在動，你沒看到喔！」

把握黃金時間持續搶救，這場大火從白天燒到黑夜，消防人員陸續在一樓、頂樓、還有電梯內救出住戶，但逐層搜索的時候，總共發現六名住戶沒有了呼吸心跳，送醫後不治。

台中消防局第七大隊副大隊長陳樂憶表示：「最後我們在現場逐層下去搜救，然後因為有一些是必須要去破壞他的門，才有辦法去搜救的情況，那所以我們又在幾個樓層，發現了六個OHCA的人員。」

這棟大樓前身為印象大飯店，都發局指出曾在98年查報屋頂有一層違建，屬於既存違建，外傳大樓內一共分租成40多間套房對外招租，經過觀旅局查詢並沒有接獲過民眾檢舉、也沒有裁罰紀錄，根據消防局統計大火一共造成六死六傷，真正的起火原因還要進一步調查釐清。