17 taken to hospital after motorcycle fire in Taiwan's Changhua

Taipei, Nov. 16 (CNA) A parked motorcycle in Changhua County burst into flames early Sunday morning, causing thick smoke that resulted in 17 nearby residents being taken to the hospital, according to the Changhua County Fire Bureau.

In a statement, the bureau said it received a report at 3:45 a.m. of a parked motorcycle on fire under the sidewalk overhang of a five-story building.

A total of 15 firetrucks, 11 ambulances, and 52 firefighters were dispatched to the scene. Nearby residents were cautioned not to venture out and to shut their doors and windows, the statement said.

After the fire was extinguished in about an hour, the firefighters sent 17 residents suffering from smoke inhalation to local hospitals, according to a Facebook post by Changhua City Mayor Lin Shih-hsien (林世賢).

The eldest of the victims was 73 years old, while the youngest was 11 months old, according to the fire bureau.

It said it was investigating the cause of the fire to determine who was responsible.