No injuries reported in Banqiao fire; residents advised to wear masks

Taipei, April 16 (CNA) A fire in Banqiao District on Tuesday morning that ripped through three corrugated steel structures has not resulted in any injuries or deaths, according to the New Taipei Fire Department.

The fire affected 1,000 square meters of the low-rise buildings and was put out at 6:57 a.m. thanks to the efforts of 163 firefighters, but the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, the department said.

The department was notified at 5:32 a.m. of thick black smoke billowing from a structure located on Lane 124 of Qiaozhong 1st Street, with two structures adjacent to it also on fire, and it dispatched more than 100 firefighters and 61 fire trucks to the scene.

Two of the structures were used for parking while one was a metalworking factory.

Meanwhile, the city's Environmental Protection Department urged residents in the Banqiao, Xinzhuang, Wugu, and Shulin areas downwind from the fire districts to keep their doors and windows closed and wear masks when going out.