Tainan fire injures 15, damages 68 homes after explosion

A fire followed by an explosion in a residential area of Tainan early yesterday morning injured 15 people and caused damage to 68 homes, according to the Tainan City Fire Bureau. The incident occurred when a pile of waste in a vacant lot on Haidian Road in Annan District caught fire and subsequently exploded.

Firefighters dispatched 144 personnel and 53 firetrucks to combat the blaze and evacuate nearby residents. It took more than four hours to bring the fire under control. The explosion damaged 11 privately owned vehicles, along with eight fire engines, one ambulance, and two disaster assessment vehicles. The three homes closest to the blast site sustained the most severe damage.

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The city government would prioritize helping affected residents find temporary accommodation and restore their homes, he said, adding that lawyers would be hired to help them seek compensation and hold those responsible accountable.

Of the 15 injured, 12 were civilians and three were firefighters, all suffering minor injuries such as cuts. No serious injuries were reported. Air quality and pollutant sampling data from the Tainan City Government showed no abnormalities following the incident.

An investigation has been initiated, with police suspecting that a man surnamed Yang managed the land and allowed a Kaohsiung-based waste operator to illegally dump trash there, violating the Waste Disposal Act. The case has been referred to prosecutors, and a joint investigation with the Kaohsiung Environmental Protection Bureau is planned. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che, who cut short a visit to Singapore, visited the scene to assess the damage. The city government pledged to prioritize temporary accommodation and home restoration for affected residents, and to hire lawyers to assist them in seeking compensation and holding responsible parties accountable. Emergency housing and relief measures, including NT$20,000 in immediate assistance for 11 severely affected households, have been activated.

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Each household would receive NT$20,000 in emergency assistance, and civil engineers would be brought in to assess the structural safety of the homes to provide a basis for subsequent repairs and compensation claims.