Police seize large amounts of fireworks after fatal blaze

Police suspect the fireworks found in a container marshalling yard in Taishan in the outskirts of New Taipei City were kept there by Chen Chiu-lung (陳邱隆), deceased owner of Hsinhsin Tang(新興堂), the ill-fated incense and paper money store burnt down in the April 22 fire in Wugu. Friday night's blaze killed four, including Chen, and left 38 injured.

Investigators, tipped off by Chen's relatives, raided the container yard, as their first step in tracing the source of the fireworks that set off and fed the blaze. Further raids are expected as they continue to try and ferret out more illegal hoards.

Fireworks companies in Taoyuan have denied importing and distributing these fireworks, maintaining that these fireworks were kept there by Chen. The yard was cordoned off yesterday while forensic experts combed the yard for evidence.

According to investigators, they still have to look at the types of fireworks involved in the disaster, circumstantial evidence, and customs declarations before the identity of the owner can be established.

Most of the fireworks found in the container marshalling yard were made in Liuyang City, in China's Hunan Province, a city with a long history of fireworks production.

In another development, Taichung city's fire department impounded more than 2,000 kg of firecrackers and fireworks and more than 400 kg of gunpowder when officers from the department raided an incense and paper money retailer in the city on Sunday, April 24.

These illegal hoards, 30 times above the country's legal limit, are now kept in a pound in Yunlin County and will be destroyed in accordance with government procedures, the fire department said, adding the owner of the fireworks and gunpowder would be fined NT$300,000 at least.

During another raid, the city's fire department officers uncovered another 600 kg of firecracker and fireworks in another incense store.

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