Firefighter dies in Keelung blaze after giving mask to trapped resident

Keelung, Jan. 22 (CNA) A Keelung firefighter died early Thursday after giving his breathing mask to a woman who was trapped in a burning residential building, but she also eventually died, according to authorities.

Chan Neng-chieh (詹能傑), a squad leader with the Keelung City Fire Department's Ren-ai Branch, lost consciousness from inhaling thick smoke after giving his mask to the woman, Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) wrote in a Facebook post.

The city government will make every effort to obtain the highest level of compensation for Chan's family and will seek to have him interred in the Martyrs' Shrine, Hsieh told the media Thursday.

The fire broke out at around 10 p.m. Wednesday on the second floor of a six-story building in the city's Anle District, according to the fire department.

Rescue operations were hampered by piles of clutter in the burning apartment, where Chan found the woman pinned on the floor by debris and barely breathing when he made his third entry into the building around 1 a.m. Thursday, the department said.

Close to 2 a.m., Chan was found unconscious inside the building and was rushed to hospital, the fire department said.

Wu Chun-te (吳俊德), superintendent of Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, told reporters that Chan suffered prolonged oxygen deprivation and was declared dead after medical staff spent about 50 minutes attempting to resuscitate him.

Meanwhile, the woman, surnamed Lo (羅), was pulled from the building at 5:40 a.m., but she had no vital signs and was also declared dead despite resuscitation efforts, according to the fire department.

Apart from the two deaths, one person suffered minor injuries, while three others were taken to hospital for precautionary checks, the department said.

The cause of the fire is being investigated, it said.