Kaohsiung factory fire, the person in charge was sentenced for failing to fulfill his management obligations

In the Kaohsiung factory fire, the Qiaotou District Court found that the person in charge failed to fulfill the on-site manager's duty of care and was sentenced for the crime of burning down a building currently used by people. (File photo)

A dangerous late-night fire occurred in a factory in Kaohsiung City recently. The person in charge neglected to regularly inspect and maintain the main power supply of the distribution box and extension cords in the factory. As a result, when no one was paying attention to the factory late at night, the extension cords short-circuited and a violent fire broke out. After hearing the case, the Qiaotou District Court found that the person in charge failed to fulfill the on-site manager's duty of care and was sentenced to 3 months in prison for the crime of burning down a building currently used by people.

The verdict pointed out that the defendant Chen Nan was the person in charge of a screw company and rented a factory building in Kaohsiung City as the company's office and employee dormitory. Before 23:33 in the middle of the night in September last year, Shu failed to turn off the main power supply in the factory. The extension cord on the southeast side of the office short-circuited due to overload, which instantly ignited the surrounding flammable materials, and the raging fire immediately engulfed the factory building.

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The Kaohsiung City Government Fire Department clearly pointed out the causal relationship between the fire point and the short circuit in the fire appraisal report. The judge sternly pointed out in the judgment that the fire site in this case was surrounded by densely packed company factories. Once the fire spread outwards, it was very likely to cause a series of fires and put all surrounding houses in great danger of being burned down. The risk of crime is extremely high.

The judge considered that Chen Nan, as the person in charge of the company, failed to fulfill his safety obligations, which was inappropriate. However, considering that he later confessed to the crime during the court hearing, had a good attitude, and showed sincerity to mediate with the factory owner and fully compensate for the damages, he was sentenced to 3 months in prison. The entire case can still be appealed.