Firefighters extinguish blaze at Sanxia chemical factory

Taipei, Dec. 7 (CNA) Firefighters put out a fire at a chemical factory in a rural part of New Taipei's Sanxia District on Sunday, but warned local residents to close their doors and windows as a precaution against dense and foul-smelling smoke.

The New Taipei Fire Department said it received a call at 3:46 p.m. Sunday about a fire at a chemical factory on Hongdao Road in a mountainous area to the southwest of Sanxia's city center.

Because of large quantities of hydrogen peroxide and sodium dithionite in the factory, which can produce the toxic gas sulfur dioxide when exposed to high temperatures or water, firefighters had to don breathing gear and other equipment before entering, the department said.

Fifty-two fire vehicles and 152 firefighters were dispatched to fight the blaze, which was extinguished at around 5 p.m.

A preliminary survey found that around 20 square meters of the factory had been burned, but the cause was still being investigated, the department said.

The fire, along with the water used to extinguish it, produced a pungent, sulfurous smell around the factory, the department said, and it urged residents in the surrounding, mostly rural area, to close their doors and windows.

Meanwhile, New Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection said the current wind direction was unlikely to carry the smoke toward downtown Sanxia, but it nevertheless urged people to wear a mask when heading outdoors.