Thick smoke from the Nanchang Road Section 2 fire blanketed the entire street. (Photo by Du Yi’an)

A two-story old building at No. 1, Section 2, Nanchang Road in Taipei City caught fire around 2:30 p.m. As the second floor housed a mountaineering supplies store filled with a large number of gas lamps, the heat caused them to explode and ignite, triggering an intense blaze. Around 10 people inside the building panicked and fled in all directions; fortunately, they escaped in time and there were no major casualties.

Firefighters arrived promptly to extinguish the flames, and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Firefighters attempted to douse the fire from above using an aerial ladder truck. (Photo by Du Yi’an)
The flames at one point showed signs of spreading. (Photo by Du Yi’an)
Firefighters arrived promptly to bring the fire under control. (Photo by Chen Hongwei)
After the fire was extinguished, thick smoke continued to rise from the scene. (Photo by Chen Hongwei)

(China Times)