14 people, 3 companies indicted in deadly Taichung PX Mart facility fire

Taichung, Dec. 11 (CNA) A total of 14 individuals and three companies were indicted Thursday by the Taichung District Prosecutors Office over a fire that killed nine on-site construction workers at a PX Mart processing center in Taichung in December 2024.

Three of the defendants, surnamed Shih (施), Wu (吳) and Lin (林), were charged with causing death by an occupational accident due to violations involving required safety or sanitation equipment, prosecutors said in a statement.

Shih was an engineering executive at Chuan Lian Enterprise Co., Ltd., while Wu represented Hu Yi Construction Co. Ltd. and Lin represented Taiwan Shinryo Co. Ltd.

Twelve of the individuals, including Shih, were also indicted for negligent homicide.

The three companies were indicted for violating Article 40(2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and face potential fines, prosecutors said.

The fire occurred on Dec. 19, 2024, at an under-construction PX Mart facility. Chuan Lian operates the chain, while a construction project had been contracted to Hu Yi and a cold-storage unit project to Shinryo.

Prosecutors said the first basement level had been lined with highly flammable polystyrene foam boards, while pipe openings and gaps between floors created major fire hazards.

Despite this, the companies failed to install legally required safety equipment and measures. Site management also did not enforce hot-work control procedures or adjust workflows to ensure necessary protections.

On the day of the fire, Shinryo's lead engineer instructed workers to cut a floor slab inside a pipe shaft using an oxygen-acetylene torch without obtaining the required hot-work permit, in an effort to speed up construction progress, according to prosecutors.

Workers then carried out the task without using a fire blanket to contain sparks, as required by regulations, and on-site safety patrollers did not intervene before allowing the operation to continue.

Sparks fell through the pipe-shaft gaps onto the basement level and ignited the foam boards. The fire spread quickly and produced thick smoke, killing nine workers -- seven of them Taiwanese and two Vietnamese -- prosecutors said.

The indictments followed an extensive investigation that included evidence collection, questioning of witnesses and defendants, examination of contracts and construction plans, and a review of the contracting structure and management responsibilities, the office said.