TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three Filipino migrant workers and four Taiwanese employees were among the seven killed in a food factory fire that broke out in Changhua County on Tuesday (April 25).
The Lian Hwa Foods Corp. (聯華食品) factory on Sihai Road, Section 1 in Changhua County's Beidou Township operates 24 hours a day. At 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday, the fire department received a report that a fire had broken out at the plant and dispatched 60 vehicles and 100 firefighters to fight the blaze.
Smoke pours out of factory roof during a fire. (Changhua County Fire Bureau photo)
After the fire broke out, thick smoke quickly filled the factory and some employees entered the cold storage unit to take shelter. However, its door consisted of plastic curtains and the smoke still entered the room, causing those trapped inside to suffer smoke inhalation injuries.
It was not until more than an hour later, at 7:50 a.m., that firefighters were able to bring the fire under control, and they were not able to fully extinguish the blaze until 9:12 a.m. By 10:06 a.m., the fire department had rescued 22 employees, including 12 men and 10 women, and sent them to nearby hospitals.
Ten of the workers had lost vital signs at the scene before being rushed to nearby hospitals. Of these 10 employees, seven died after being sent to the hospital, including four Taiwanese and three Filipino nationals.
The Taiwanese victims included a 46-year-old female surnamed Hsieh (謝), a 42-year-old male surnamed Lu (盧), a 45-year-old male surnamed Hsieh (謝), and a 32-year-old female surnamed Wu (吳), reported Tai Sounds. The Filipinos included a 36-year-old female, a 30-year-old male, and a 30-year-old male.
Medical staff treated worker injured by fire. (Ministry of Health and Welfare Hospital, Changhua photo)
Lian Hwa Foods issued a statement stating that the fire was initially determined to have started in production machinery, while the detailed cause is being investigated by firefighters. According to a preliminary investigation by the fire department, the blaze started in a work area on the second floor.
After the fire broke out, employees fled to the third and fourth floors, and 15 people hid in the cold storage unit on the fourth floor. However, the thick smoke inflicted heavy casualties in the walk-in freezer.
Interior of cold storage unit. (Changhua County Fire Department photo)
