A Taiwanese LED factory located in Taoyuan City in Northern Taiwan erupted in flames at 4 PM on Monday, according to a report by Apple Daily.
The fire which broke out in LED substrate manufacturer Hsing-Sun Engineering’s (Hsing-Sun) factory injured 14, most have been hospitalized at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. However, two foreign workers in critical condition receiving treatment at Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare. The two workers have burns covering 10% to 20% of their body surface.
A motor that exploded on the fourth floor of the six story factory is believed to be the source of the fire, said Taoyuan Fire Department. Hsing-Sun factory is located in floor four to six of the factory, but initial probes reveal the top two floors were illegally constructed, according to a report by Chinese-language The News Lens.
Despite dispatching 54 firefighters to the scene, the fire was not extinguished till 10 PM yesterday, due to the large volume of flammable items located on the upper floors that fueled the fire on.
Hsing-Sun estimates financial losses from the fire to be NT $50 million (US $ 1.6 million), and faces potential fines for illegally constructing two additional floors to a four story building, according to Jongli Industrial Park authorities.