TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Prosecutors on Thursday charged 14 people over a fire at a PX Mart facility in Taichung that killed nine people in December last year.
Even though project officials knew that polystyrene boards at the under-construction processing center were highly flammable, they failed to take the necessary precautions, according to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office. Most of the fatalities were construction workers inside the building in the Dadu District on Dec. 19, 2024.
During the investigation lasting almost a full year, prosecutors summoned numerous defendants and witnesses, studied contracts and maps, and determined the different levels of responsibility, per CNA. They concluded that 14 managers from three companies, including PX Mart, should be indicted.
The fire started at the underground level of the project when sparks fell from work on higher floors and ignited flammable materials, prosecutors said. Supervisors from the three companies involved knew about the polystyrene boards in the basement and about the gaps between the floors that allowed the sparks to reach the basement.
However, they failed to take preventive measures or install firefighting equipment required by law. Managers also did not require subcontractors to take the necessary steps to prevent a fire.
To speed up construction, a contractor did not ask for permission but covered the polystyrene with wooden and calcium silicate boards while workers used oxyacetylene to cut structural components.
Two workers flouted safety rules by failing to prevent sparks from flying around, while an inspector who witnessed this did not correct them. Seven Taiwanese and two Vietnamese construction workers died in the blaze.
Two supervisors were found responsible for not applying for the required permissions and for not informing other workers about the flammable materials in the basement, prosecutors concluded. The two defendants tried to evade responsibility during the investigation, leading prosecutors to request severe punishment from the court.
