Third Blaze at Taiwan Oil Refinery

A petrochemical facility in Taiwan is on fire for the second time this month.

The blaze started late on Sunday evening at a residual fuel processing unit of Formosa Petrochemical’s massive Mailiao complex.

Local residents say they are afraid of living in the neighborhood.

[Local Resident]:
„I don’t know when this will explode, I am very scared. I cannot sleep at night.“

[Local Resident]:
„Today is July 25, and we’ve had two large scale fires in one month. For a public safety issue like this, the government should demand a thorough examination; they cannot let them operate without safety facilities.“

An official from the local fire department says the situation is under control.

[Fire Department Official]:
„There have been no injuries or deaths so far. From our preliminary understanding, the fire was caused by heavy oil leakage. The refining process uses hydrogen as a raw material, so it could pose more danger if hydrogen starts leaking. But we have already controlled the hydrogen section.“

Although the fire continued to burn on Monday, workers were seen arriving at the plant for work in the morning.

Local officials are considering whether to take action against the island’s biggest oil refinery complex.

Formosa Petrochemical says it will investigate the cause of the fire.

On July 7, a major fire broke out at another facility in the same complex, while another small-scale fire was recorded earlier this year.

Foto: NTDTV