This article may be excessively based on contemporary reporting.(March 2024) |
Native name | 高雄城中城大樓大火 |
---|---|
Date | 14 October 2021 |
Time | 02:54 NST (UTC+8) |
Location |
|
Coordinates | 22°37′43″N120°17′07″E / 22.62861°N 120.28528°E |
Type | Fire |
Deaths | 46 |
Non-fatal injuries | 41 |
In the early morning hours of 14 October 2021, at 02:54 NST (UTC+8), a fire broke out in a 13-storey building at Fubei Road in Yancheng District, Kaohsiung, a city in southwestern Taiwan. At least 46 people were killed, and 41 others were injured. The fire was extinguished after about four and a half hours. The cause of the fire is under investigation, although piles of debris left around the building may have complicated rescue efforts and helped fuel the fire.
It was the deadliest fire in the city's history, and the deadliest building fire in Taiwan since 1995, when a karaoke bar in Taichung in central Taiwan caught fire, killing 64 people [2] [3] and overall the third-deadliest fire in the history of Taiwan.
The Cheng Chung Cheng Building (Chinese :城中城大樓), built around 1981, [4] is a 13-floor commercial and residential building, one of many apartment buildings in the Yancheng District, an older section of Kaohsiung. [5] [1] [6] [7] The mayor of Kaohsiung Chen Chi-mai stated that the building had previously housed a cinema, as well as restaurants and karaoke lounges, but was partially abandoned at the time of the fire, save for around 120 households. [5] [8] Officials also stated that the building was 40 years old, and that a few shops were located in the lower levels. [9] Two underground floors were not being used, and the first to fifth floors were abandoned. [8]
Floor | Originally | During the fire |
---|---|---|
12 | Restaurant | Closed |
7–11 | Office | Divided flats |
5–6 | Movie theater | Abandoned |
1–4 | Shopping mall | Some shops on lower levels |
B1 | Car park | Abandoned |
B2 | Shopping mall & Cabaret |
About 120 households lived between the seventh and eleventh floors. [12] Fire chief Lee Ching-hsiu stated that most of the residents were elderly and either suffering from physical ailments or dementia. [12] The apartments were as small as 13 m2 (140 sq ft), and many residents lived alone. [6]
The tower had suffered another fire earlier in its lifetime, in 1999. [13] [14] This earlier fire had occurred during daylight hours, and firefighters were able to rescue 28 people that were trapped in the building, resulting in no deaths. [13] [14]
Locals called the tower "Kaohsiung's No. 1 ghost building". [1] Fire extinguishers had only been installed the month prior, with only three per floor due to lack of funds. [6] In 2007, Apple Daily reported that the abandoned theatre in the building had become a meeting spot for gay men to engage in sexual activities. [15] Urban explorers visiting in 2014 wrote that several sewer pipes in the building's upper floor had burst and that the lower floors were occupied by squatters. [16]
The city's fire department stated that the fire was first reported at 02:54 NST (UTC+8). [1] It is believed by authorities that the fire first broke out, reportedly at 02:45, [17] at a tea-shop on the ground floor of the building. [6] A survivor said she opened her door and saw black smoke everywhere, and other residents stated they heard a loud bang concurrent with that of an explosion before the fire was discovered. [18]
Some 159 firefighters responded to the fire with 75 fire vehicles. [1] Chief Lee stated that because the lower floors had high ceilings and a front made of glass, the fire rose up rapidly, eventually reaching up to the 6th floor, and filling the floors above with smoke. [12] [2] By midday at least 62 people had been evacuated from the building, aged between 8 and 83 years-old. [19] Lee reported that the fire had been extinguished by 07:17 NST. [12] More than 377 rescue workers were deployed to the scene and the rescue is ongoing. [19]
While the cause of the fire was not reported immediately, the large amount of debris and clutter in the building reportedly helped spread the fire and added to its intensity. [20] The debris and clutter also impeded the search and rescue and evacuation efforts as many points of access were blocked. [6] Hours after the fire, smoke could still be seen, and the sound of glass breaking was heard around the building. [7]
A total of 46 people died and a further 41 were injured. [12] The fire bureau noted that the average age of the deceased was 62. [2]
Initially, only seven people were reported dead by authorities, but the number grew throughout the night. [19] Thirty-two people were declared deceased at the scene of the fire and sent directly to the morgue, while an additional 14 were sent to the hospital with no signs of life and declared dead there. [21] [22]
According to Chief Lee, the number of casualties was expected to rise, as some victims were still believed to be trapped between the 7th and 11th floors. [19] Lee also noted that most of the casualties were caused by smoke inhalation and added that one reason why the casualty count was so high was because the fire happened during the early morning hours, while people were still asleep. [19] [12] [2]
Three of the people who had died were Mainland Chinese citizens formerly married to Taiwanese nationals. [23]
Authorities have also ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the fire, and have not ruled out the possibility of arson. [5] The police have summoned four witnesses for the investigation. [12] A man surnamed Kuo and a woman surnamed Huang were detained by the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office. After questioning, Kuo was granted bail. [24] [25]
President Tsai Ing-wen asked authorities to help relocate those affected. [9] Kaohsiung city councilors called for fire safety to be improved throughout the city, including investigations of old buildings, amending safety standards, and equipment and infrastructure upgrades. [26] Tsai visited the site of the fire on 16 October 2021, and pledged that her administration would improve fire safety and aid urban renewal. [27]
Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chi-mai stated that the city government would pay medical fees for the injured, and aid the people that the fire forced to move. [28] The Taipei City Government subsequently announced that new fire safety laws were to go into effect in January 2022, while members of the Taichung City Council pushed for a report to be made on the city's older structures, and Tainan mayor Huang Wei-cher ordered inspections of fifty buildings. [29]
On 15 October 2021, a Taoist prayer was held at the site of the fire, [30] and that day's Legislative Yuan session opened with a moment of silence. [31]
Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chi-mai accepted the resignation of Fire Bureau chief Lee Ching-hsiu and Public Works Bureau Director-General Su Chih-hsun on 26 October 2021. [32]
In November 2021, a team of civil engineers and architects inspected the burnt-out building, and determined it was no longer structurally sound, and its interior conditions were a threat to public safety. They recommended that the building be demolished. The city government proposed replacing the demolished building with a public park and memorial. The building had a complex ownership structure, with property rights divided amongst hundreds of shareholders, a few of whom initially opposed the demolition. But the city government bought out their shares at above-market rates, allowing demolition to proceed on December 17, 2021. Former residents had been given notice that all recoverable belongings must be moved out of the building before then.
As of February 2022, the roof deck and 12th floor (formerly an abandoned restaurant) have been demolished. The demolition was briefly suspended after nearby residents complained about excessive noise and air pollution.
As of May 2022, demolition is almost complete, and the site is expected to be cleared of all debris by end of month. The park is scheduled to be constructed by September 2022.
As of November 2023, a fully functional park, complete with children’s recreation area exists on site.
Su Tseng-chang is a Taiwanese politician who served as premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2019 to 2023. He was the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party in 2005 and from 2012 to 2014. Su served as Chief of Staff to President Chen Shui-bian in 2004. He is currently the longest-serving Democratic Progressive premier in history.
85 Sky Tower, formerly known as the T & C Tower or Tuntex Sky Tower, is an 85-story skyscraper in Lingya District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The structure is 347.5 m (1,140 ft) high. An antenna increases the pinnacle height to 378 m (1,240 ft). Constructed from 1994 to 1997 by the now-defunct Tuntex Group, it is the tallest building in Kaohsiung, and the 2nd tallest in Taiwan after the Taipei 101.
Kiku Chen Chu is a Taiwanese politician serving as president of the Control Yuan and chairwomen of the National Human Rights Commission since 2020. Before assuming her current post, Chen had served as Secretary-General to the President from 2018 to 2020 and Mayor of Kaohsiung from 2006 to 2018, making her the longest-serving mayor of the city since the Japanese occupation of Taiwan.
Magic is the fifth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released on March 7, 2003, by Sony. Produced by Bing Wang, Peter Lee, Jamie Hsueh, Jay Chou, and Huang Yi, it incorporated genres of pop, disco, funk, hip-hop, and Britpop. It was well received by music critics, who commented that it was the key piece of her first musical reinvention and established her dance-oriented musical direction.
Events from the year 2011 in Taiwan, Republic of China. This year is numbered Minguo 100 according to the official Republic of China calendar.
Events from the year 2015 in Taiwan, Republic of China. This year is numbered Minguo 104 according to the official Republic of China calendar.
Play is the thirteenth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released on November 15, 2014, by Warner and Eternal. Produced by Starr Chen, Andrew Chen, Tiger Chung, JJ Lin, and Michael Lin, it broke away from the framework of traditional Chinese albums with rich musical contents and all-encompassing themes.
The Chang Gung Medical Foundation, also known as Chang Gung is a medical and hospital network located in Taiwan. It was founded in 1973 by Wang Yung-ching to commemorate his father Wang Chang-gung. The hospital network has a total of 10,050 beds.
Myself World Tour is a live video album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released on October 19, 2013, by Warner and Mars. It chronicled the Taipei dates of the Myself World Tour from December 22 to 23, 2012 and one music video.
Play World Tour was the fourth concert tour by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It started on May 22, 2015, in Taipei, Taiwan at Taipei Arena and continued throughout Asia and North America before concluding on July 16, 2016, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at Stadium Merdeka. It grossed NT$1.5 billion from 34 shows and 600,000 attendance.
Myself World Tour was the third concert tour by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It started on December 24, 2010, in Taipei, Taiwan at Taipei Arena and continued throughout Asia, Europe, and Oceania before concluding on April 13, 2013, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan at Kaohsiung Arena. It grossed NT$1.5 billion from 35 shows and 600,000 attendance.
Han Kuo-yu is a Taiwanese politician and retired Republic of China Army officer who is the current president of the Legislative Yuan.
Play World Tour is a live video album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released on January 30, 2018, by Warner and Eternal. The performances at the Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan during May 22–25, 2015 were documented for the video release. The album only released physical format in Taiwan, and it topped the 2008 video album sales charts in the country.
Ugly Beauty is the fourteenth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released on December 26, 2018, by Sony and Eternal. It was produced by Tsai with Razor Chiang, Starr Chen, Howe Chen, and Øzi. Musically, it is a pop record which merged a series of genres such as trap, house, reggae, and gothic rock. Thematically, it tends to break through the traditional aesthetic criterion and explore the bipolarity of human feeling, and Tsai wants to "uncover the ugliness hidden behind the perfect surface, and peek into the emotions that try the best to be buried" through the album.
Ugly Beauty World Tour is the fifth concert tour by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It started on December 30, 2019, in Taipei, Taiwan at Taipei Arena.
The Asia Plaza is a vision supertall skyscraper that will rise 431 m (1,414 ft) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The building will comprise 103 floors above ground as well as 7 basement levels. It is a part of the Asia Plaza Tri-Tower Complex, that comprise three buildings: the 103-storey Asia Plaza, the 49-storey Far Eastern Ding Ding Hotel and the 18-storey Mega'21 Far Eastern Shopping Complex, of which only the shopping complex was completed in 2001.
On February 15, 1995, a deadly fire broke out in the Weierkang Club, a Western-style restaurant and karaoke bar in West District, Taichung, Taiwan. The fire killed 64 people and injured 11, making it the second-deadliest fire in the history of Taiwan after the 1984 Meishan coal mine fire that killed 103.
Athletic Club Taipei, previously known as Andy Chen Academy, Is a professional football club based in Taipei, Taiwan that competes in the Taiwan Football Premier League, starting in 2022.
Huang Ming-chao is a Taiwanese police officer.
Kuo Hsueh-hu, born Kuo Chin-huo, was a pioneering Taiwanese gouache painter. He was born in Taipei's Dadaocheng, which was then part of Taiwan's Taipei Prefecture, during the Japanese colonial period. Along with Chen Chin and Lin Yu-shan, Kuo was one of the "Three Youths of Taiwan Fine Art Exhibition" and one of the major founders of the Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition after World War II.