New Taipei factory fire leaves one migrant worker missing
A late-night fire tore through a three-story metal factory in New Taipei's Xinzhuang district, and one migrant worker is feared trapped — bad news for the workers housed on site and for nearby residents breathing the smoke.
- The blaze broke out just before midnight and engulfed a row of connected metal-clad factory buildings.
- The first two floors were workshop space; the top floor was a dormitory for foreign migrant workers.
- One migrant worker is missing and believed trapped, which pushed the response from 17 trucks to 50 and more than 100 firefighters.
- Crews only got the flames under control in the early morning hours after fighting the risk of it spreading to neighboring buildings.
- Smoke and fumes are drifting downwind toward Xinzhuang, Shulin, and Guishan in Taoyuan, with residents told to shut windows and wear masks outdoors.
Outlook: Search crews will comb the burned-out building for the missing worker while air quality downwind stays poor until the site fully cools.