A late-night fire at a building site in Tainan's Annan District turned into a large explosion that hurt 14 people and wrecked homes nearby — bad news for residents and the firefighters who were on scene.

• The fire started after 1am on an empty lot next to newly built homes, where a developer had reportedly piled up waste, possibly including batteries.
• Firefighters could not put it out because the debris held magnesium, aluminium air-conditioner parts and drums of machine oil — materials water cannot extinguish.
• Crews decided to smother the fire with sand instead, but could not find a driver in the middle of the night and had to borrow vehicles and sandbags from local officials.
• At about 2:46am the fire blew up, injuring 10 residents, 3 volunteer firefighters and one person who went to hospital alone; fire trucks and ambulances were destroyed.
• Windows shattered and metal doors were bent within 100 metres, and one squad leader tackled his commander to the ground and shielded him with his protective gear.

Outlook: No one is reported to be in critical condition, and attention now turns to why flammable waste was left sitting on the site.