Taiwan orders checks of confined entertainment venues after fire

Focus Taiwan
Date: 04/27/2020
By: Liang Pei-chi, Yeh Su-ping and Evleyn Kao

Taipei, April 27 (CNA) The government will ask all local governments to carry out complete fire safety inspections of karaoke bars and similar venues after a deadly fire broke out at a popular karaoke outlet in Taipei, Deputy Interior Minister Hua Ching-chun (花敬群) said Monday.

The fire broke out on the fifth floor of a 14-floor building housing the Linsen branch of Cashbox Partyworld KTV and left at least five people dead and one person in critical condition.

The Taipei City Fire Department later found that the business's fire alarm, smoke alarm, sprinkler and emergency broadcasting systems were turned off at the time of the blaze.

"If the company wanted to turn those systems off, it shouldn't have opened for business yesterday," Hua said, describing it as "gross human negligence" to turn off major alarms in a confined, crowded space.    [FULL  STORY]