Kaohsiung Fire Bureau battles overnight incinerator inferno

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Environment Protection Department of Kaohsiung City Government confirmed on Sunday (Dec. 10) that the fire at the Gangshan Incinerator has been contained after an early morning alert in Gangshan District.

A fire broke out at the Gangshan Incinerator in Kaohsiung around 1 a.m., with no reported casualties or entrapment. As of press time, firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze amid smoldering garbage.

The Kaohsiung City Government Fire Bureau reported the fire on Bengong 5th Road, triggering a large-scale emergency response.

Upon receiving the report, 29 fire engines, 60 firefighters, 28 volunteers, and four fire-fighting robots were dispatched. The fire bureau confirmed that the fire involved a waste storage pit and stated that there were no injuries among personnel.

The flames were brought under control by around 1:53 a.m. However, due to the extensive amount of smoldering waste, spatial limitations, and operational challenges, firefighters are still working on extinguishing the fire.

The Department of Environmental Protection suggested that the incinerator fire may have resulted from the production of biogas from fermented waste at the pit's bottom, leading to smoldering trash.