Family members and friends are mourning the death of a firefighter squad leader who was killed while tackling a blaze at a residential building in Hsinchu County on Thursday morning.
Firefighter Yu Shang-hua (游尚樺) is thought to have died from smoke inhalation while on duty at a residential blaze in Hukou Township (湖口), Hsinchu County, after doctors’ attempts to resuscitate him failed, officials said.
Yu had been dispatched to tackle the blaze at about 7:30am, along with 11 firetrucks and 25 other firefighters, the bureau said.
Photo courtesy of the Hsinchu County Fire Bureau
Yu, a squad leader, became separated from his colleagues after entering the building on the second floor and was later found unconscious, the bureau added.
Four people were rescued from the third-floor balcony of the building, which primarily housed migrant workers, it added.
The four rescued individuals were all migrant workers and according to witnesses, the four left the scene of the blaze after declining to receive medical assistance.
The fire was extinguished at about 8:30am, the bureau said.
One of Yu’s colleagues, still wearing his firefighting gear, said he had rushed straight from the Hukou blaze to check on his squad leader in hospital.
Describing his death as “difficult to stomach,” the colleague described Yu as an “outgoing and kind” leader beloved by all of his colleagues.
As Yu’s body was taken directly from the hospital to the funeral home, firefighters and policy officers lined the route to pay their respects.
National Fire Agency Director-General Hsiao Huan-chang (蕭煥章) and Hsinchu County Commissioner Yang Wen-ke (楊文科) also arrived at the hospital to offer their condolences.
Hsiao said in a statement that he would cooperate with the local fire bureau to arrange for appropriate bereavement compensation.
Yu was an experienced firefighter, having previously served as head of the Zhuwei Branch in New Taipei City. He started his service in Hsinchu County last year.
An investigation into the exact cause of Yu’s death is ongoing, with Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) saying that the ministry would provide any help if needed.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
RSS