The nine warehouses, including a furniture wholesale store, a furniture storage area, and a mattress factory among others, were burned to the ground. Smoke from the fire could be seen miles away.

The incident, reported at 8:01 a.m. yesterday morning, required 56 Taipei County fire trucks and seven from Taipei City, with an additional two fire trucks from Taoyuan County, and necessitated the coordination of 150 firefighters to put out the fire.

Firefighters said yesterday’s blaze yesterday was one of the most extensive fires in recent years. A water shortage resulted from the efforts and backup fire trucks were delayed during the morning rush hour.

The owner of a furniture wholesale store said he was saved by a stray cat.

“A stray cat was living in my warehouse for a long time now. I was awakened by the loud noises it was making on the roof yesterday morning, and I later realized the place was on fire.”

The blaze took firefighters two hours to extinguish.

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