Escape equipment came in handy as 8 people rappelled out of a fire in a migrant dormitory

A fire broke out in a dormitory for migrant workers in Tainan's Annan District this morning. More than 300 people were evacuated. Eight people on the scene escaped by rappelling. (provided by the public)

A fire broke out in a dormitory for migrant workers in Annan District this morning. Thick smoke erupted from the scene. When firefighters arrived, in addition to using symbiosis masks to save people, eight people escaped by rappelling on a rarely used descent machine. Fortunately, the fire was quickly extinguished.

The fire broke out at the Wantong Manpower Migrant Worker Dormitory on Shiotian Sixth Street, Annan District. At around 7 a.m. this morning, smoke suddenly burst out of the room on the first floor. Although the on-site firefighting equipment was activated, the smoke quickly moved upwards. The second to fourth floors were blackened by thick smoke. The situation was quite tense for a time.

After receiving the report, the fire department dispatched 32 vehicles and 68 police officers to the scene to put out the fire. The fire was under control within 20 minutes after water rescue was launched, and was successfully extinguished at 7:57. Preliminary investigation showed that the burning debris in the room on the first floor was about 13 square meters. A total of more than 300 foreign migrant workers were evacuated from the scene.

The fire injured four people, three of whom had minor injuries and refused medical treatment. A 30-year-old Filipino male migrant worker had carbon particles in his nostrils. Although he was conscious, he was sent by ambulance to Yongkang Chimei Hospital for examination and treatment. The property damage on site and the detailed cause of the fire are still awaiting further identification by fire dispatchers.