An overnight fire at a construction site in Tainan's Annan District blew up while firefighters were still fighting it, hurting 14 people and wrecking nearby homes.

• The blast hit a vacant lot in Annan District where a builder had reportedly piled up leftover waste, including old batteries, that had not yet been hauled away.
• Ten residents, three volunteer firefighters, and one person who drove themselves to hospital were hurt; nobody is reported in critical condition.
• Homes within 100 metres had windows shattered and metal doors bent out of shape, and some people were cut by flying glass inside their own houses.
• Water would not put the fire out because the pile held magnesium, aluminium air-conditioner parts, and drums of machine oil — crews were switching to sandbags when it exploded.
• A squad leader tackled the on-scene commander to the ground and shielded him with his protective gear, leaving him with only scrapes; a fire engine and an ambulance burned.

Outlook: Expect an investigation into how flammable construction waste was left sitting on the lot, and pressure on the builder over how it was stored.