An overnight fire on an empty lot in Tainan's Annan District burned with unusual white flames that water could not put out, forcing crews to fight it from a distance — bad news for nearby residents and for the landowner, who may face questions over how the waste got there.

• The fire broke out after 1am on a vacant lot piled with scrap aluminum and furnace slag, waking people in a quiet residential area.
• The flames burned bright white and threw off sparks, a sign of a chemical reaction rather than an ordinary fire.
• Crews did not dare spray water straight at the source, fearing water hitting the hot material would make the reaction worse.
• Several cars were parked right next to the burning pile, so firefighters sprayed from the edges just to keep the flames from spreading.
• Commanders called in sand and chemical foam to smother the fire by burying it instead.

Outlook: Once the site cools, investigators will try to identify what chemical waste was dumped there and whether the landowner failed to control the property.