Four Killed in Taichung Warehouse Fire 豐原工廠大火4死 疑加班電焊火花肇禍

A warehouse fire in Taichung's Fengyuan killed four and injured two on the night of Dec. 29. The city says the warehouse was an illegal structure and it is also investigating the owner for labor violations.

Firefighters are doing everything they can to put out this factory fire, which erupted on the night of the 29th at a two-story warehouse on Taichung's Dongzhou Road. A total of 26 firetrucks and 66 firefighters were sent to the scene. Nine employees were painting floorboards inside the building when the fire broke out. Five escaped, but four that were found on the 2nd floor were pronounced dead at the hospital. By the time we noticed the fire, it was too late and we fled outside. They don't know how the fire started either. It spread really quickly.

Huang Kai-wei, First Corps Captain, Fire Bureau, Taichung City: “Their floorboards were coated in flammable materials, so the fire spread really quickly.”

Investigators believe sparks from an electric cable ignited the fire when they came into contact with paint solvent fumes. In addition to the four workers that were killed, a fifth worker surnamed Huang suffered burns to 50 percent of his body and a sixth worker was treated for smoke inhalation.

Chen Wei-cheng, Chief Secretary, China Medical University Hospital: “The patient remains in critical condition. He suffered burns to 50 percent of his body and has been intubated. He will be treated in the burn center of our ICU.”

The warehouse belonged to a company called "Yasuda" and was not registered and had never been inspected. It was also situated illegally on farmland.

Pan Shou-lien, Section Chief, Economic Development Bureau, Taichung City: “We found it to be an unregistered factory housed in a two-story corrugated iron building.”

Hsieh Kuo-chi, Section Chief, Urban Development Bureau, Taichung City: “The building is located in a designated agricultural zone. We have no record of it as an illegal structure and it has never been inspected.”

The city has given the company 14 days to remove the warehouse. If the company fails to do so, the city government will tear it down. Labor officials are also investigating whether the employees that were on-site at the time of the fire were being forced to work excessive overtime.

熊熊火光從倉庫內竄出，消防員使用切割器具想辦法撲滅火勢。台中市豐原區東洲路上的一處2層樓鐵皮倉庫，29日晚間發生大火。消防局出動26台消防車、66名消防員前往搶救。火災當時有9名工人正在裡頭進行地板塗料作業，有5人先逃出，隨後消防隊在2樓最深處發現4人倒臥無生命跡象，送醫急救宣告不治。

逃出員工說：「看到火源的時候已經來不及，他們就趕快跑出來，所以他們也不清楚為什麼會著火，火勢燃燒很快，很快。」

台中市消防一大隊組長黃凱偉指出：「因為它地板的塗料是易燃的材料，所以整個火勢就蔓延起來。」

30日上午，大批火場調查人員抵達了解起火原因，初步研判是電焊作業火花引燃油漆溶劑揮發氣體，造成火災。這場火警除了造成4死，另有一名黃姓員工全身50%燒燙傷送中國附醫，一名張姓員工嗆傷送豐原醫院治療。

中國醫藥大學附設醫院主秘陳韋成說明：「病人還是相對比較嚴重，50%的燒傷，現在插管全力搶救。後續會到燒燙傷中心的加護病房，繼續延續照顧。」

台中市府調查後表示，現場為「雅速達股份有限公司」鐵皮倉庫。無辦理特登納管，也沒有工廠列管稽查紀錄，由於地處都市計畫內農業區，判定屬於違建。

台中市經發局工業科長潘守亷指出：「現場為2層樓的鐵皮建物，內部有設置貨架。經查該處無辦理特登納管，亦無工廠列管及相關稽查紀錄。」

台中市都發局科長謝國基說：「位於都市計劃內農業區，經查無違建查報紀錄，及建築物公安申報紀錄。」

市府要求業者在火調後14天內拆除違建，否則將強行拆除。至於9名工人是否有超時加班，勞工局則還在了解中。