An early-morning fire and explosion in Tainan's Annan District hurt residents and firefighters and damaged homes, but everyone taken to hospital has already been discharged.

• The blast hit the Annan District of Tainan in the early hours, injuring civilians and firefighters and damaging several homes and fire trucks.
• All the injured were treated and released from hospital.
• The site held scrap aluminum and magnesium along with oil drums — metals that burn violently and are a likely reason the fire turned into an explosion.
• President Lai called Tainan mayor Huang Wei-che directly and told central agencies to help with rescue, medical care, and housing for displaced residents.
• Investigators have been told to move fast on pinning down the cause and who is responsible.

Outlook: Expect an investigation into how flammable scrap metal ended up stored there, with central government money and manpower flowing to the cleanup.