(FWA 2025/08/20)

A major fire broke out in an apartment building in Kaohsiung early on August 18, killing 3 people — 2 Vietnamese migrant workers employed at a nearby food factory and the house owner’s son. None of them were able to escape. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The building’s management committee said the first floor had long been illegally expanded with sheet metal and rolling shutters, and was packed with clutter. Despite repeated reports to the city government, no action was taken. The tragedy highlights the safety risks faced by migrant workers renting housing on their own.

The fire spread quickly from the first to the second floor, burning down the entrance, furniture, and equipment. By the time firefighters put out the flames, the 3 victims had already died. The incident shocked neighbors and left other residents in fear.

The committee said he tried to help with a fire extinguisher, but the illegal structures, shutters, and piles of items blocked escape routes. Although complaints had been made many times, the house owner never fixed the problem, leaving the building without insurance and unable to pass safety checks. In April this year, the committee even filed a lawsuit against the house owner, but the deadly accident happened first.

Illegal Construction Task Force in Kaohsiung City Government said its staff had tried twice to inspect the building but couldn’t get in because the doors were locked. They promised to demolish the illegal structures once the fire investigation is complete.

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高雄惡火奪3命　移工外宿安全亮紅燈

高雄市一棟大樓8月18日清晨發生嚴重火警，奪走3條人命，其中包括2名在附近食品工廠上班的越南籍移工，以及屋主的兒子，3人逃生不及慘遭火海吞噬。起火原因仍待調查釐清，但大樓管委會直指，1樓長年增設違建，加蓋鐵皮與鐵捲門且堆滿雜物，屢次向市政府檢舉卻無下文，如今釀成悲劇，更凸顯移工自行租屋外宿的潛在風險。

大火自1樓竄燒至2樓，短時間大門、內部設備與家具都付之一炬，消防隊撲滅火勢前，3人均已無生命跡象。這起火災不僅驚動鄰里，也讓同棟住戶人心惶惶。

管委會主委表示，雖然他也拿滅火器幫忙滅火，但違建與鐵捲門封閉，外加堆放雜物阻塞，可能因此影響逃生動，雖然多次檢舉卻遲遲未獲改善，導致大樓無法投保、也無法進行公共安全檢查。今年4月甚至已向屋主提告，沒想到卻先釀出人命。

對此，高雄市違建處理大隊回應，曾兩度派員到場卻因大門上鎖無法進入，後續會等火災鑑識告一段落，儘速派工拆除。