An overnight fire at a scrap yard in Tainan's Annan District blew up while crews were fighting it, hurting three firefighters and six residents — a bad night for the emergency crews and the neighborhood.

• The fire started after 1am on an empty lot piled with slag and scrap aluminum waste.
• The burning material reacts violently with water, so crews could not simply hose it down.
• A small blast came first, then a large one that set fire to three fire trucks and an ambulance.
• The commander had already pulled back one hose team and switched to a water cannon, which likely kept injuries from being worse.
• Most onlookers ran indoors after the first blast, but six were caught outside and hurt.

Outlook: Investigators still have to determine how the waste pile caught fire, and the injured are being assessed.