How Taiwan is preparing for fire at waste storage sites

by Featured NewsSafety

Fire guidance released at Taiwan symposium

Taiwan’s Ministry of Environment released the Guidelines for Disaster Waste Management during a symposium on fire prevention and emergency response for waste storage sites held on 11 March 2026.

The ministry said the event was held under the guidance of the Executive Yuan’s Office of Disaster Management and in collaboration with the National Fire Agency, Ministry of the Interior.

The symposium examined fire prevention and emergency response at waste storage and landfill sites during extreme climate events.

Discussions used practical case studies including the fire at the temporary waste site in Wushulin, Tainan.

Frontline personnel from local environmental protection and firefighting agencies joined central government representatives and academic experts to discuss risk identification, management guidance, air pollution monitoring and on-site environmental detection strategies.

Executive Yuan Minister without Portfolio Chi Lien-cheng said: “He emphasized that improperly handled large volumes of disaster-generated waste can lead to severe environmental pollution, and that dredged sediment must also be properly managed to prevent secondary disasters.”

He also said the Executive Yuan is working to amend the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act to establish a unified disaster management system from central to local levels.

Waste site response and future guidance

The Ministry of Environment said the symposium focused on risk prevention, firefighting operations and environmental management.

Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming said managing the large amounts of waste generated immediately after disasters has become a core issue in national disaster prevention.

Peng said disaster waste can pose environmental threats without proper risk identification and classification.

He said management strategies must shift from end-of-pipe disposal to source prevention in order to establish what he described as a resilient management system.

Director-General Hsiao Huan-chang of the National Fire Agency said fires at waste storage sites often involve deep-seated combustion, with accumulated heat and limited access to the core making extinguishment more difficult.

Hsiao said firefighting units use segmentation and isolation, localized excavation and point-by-point extinguishing, alongside mobile water cannons, firefighting robots, aerial drone surveillance, heavy machinery excavation and waterline protection.

The ministry said recommendations from the symposium will be used to develop future Guidelines for Fire Prevention and Rescue at Waste Landfills and Temporary Storage Sites.

It said those guidelines will be combined with the Guidelines for Disaster Waste Management to give local governments a reference for daily management, inspections, training and rescue operations.

BTS concert prompts Seoul lodging inspections after capsule hotel fire

by Featured NewsSafety

BTS concert drives Seoul lodging inspections

A fire at a capsule hotel in central Seoul that injured 10 foreign tourists has led authorities to launch emergency safety inspections at 5,481 lodging facilities ahead of a major BTS concert on Saturday.

Korea JoonAng Daily reported that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Fire Agency said Monday they will carry out inspections for four days from Monday to Thursday.

Authorities will focus on lodging facilities in the Jongno and Jung districts, where large numbers of visitors are expected for BTS’s open-air performance at Gwanghwamun Square.

Officials will also conduct sample inspections at accommodations considered to have higher fire risks, including capsule hotels.

Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung said: “We expect a sharp increase in domestic and foreign visitors coming to Seoul ahead of a large K-pop concert.

“We will swiftly carry out emergency safety inspections to create an environment where people can stay with peace of mind.”

Fire injures 10 foreign nationals

The inspections follow a fire that broke out last Saturday at a capsule hotel in Sogong-dong in Jung District, according to Korea JoonAng Daily.

The fire injured 10 foreign nationals, with three seriously hurt.

A Japanese woman in her 50s remained unconscious as of Sunday.

Authorities said she is the family member of another Japanese woman in her 20s who was taken to hospital while conscious.

Seven others sustained minor injuries and were moved to temporary accommodations after receiving treatment.

Sprinkler rules and capsule hotel layout

Korea JoonAng Daily reported that a joint investigation by police and fire authorities found the building did not have sprinkler systems installed.

Korea has required sprinkler systems on every floor of any building with six or more stories since 2018.

The capsule hotel was built before the regulation took effect and its total floor area did not meet the 600-square meter (6,500-square foot ) threshold for the requirement.

The building also did not fall under the Special Act on the Safety Control of Publicly Used Establishments, which requires simple sprinkler systems in lodging-type multiuse facilities such as gosiwon that were built before 2009 and permitted as general lodging facilities.

The hotel is located near Myeongdong and charges between 30,000 and 50,000 won ($20 to $33) per night, with about 82 percent of reviews on online travel platforms written in foreign languages.

Capsule hotels place small sleeping compartments about the size of a single bed in a honeycomb-like structure across two levels instead of traditional rooms.

One reviewer noted that the narrow rooms left little space for luggage and corridors often became crowded.

Officials identified five more capsule hotels within a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) radius of the fire site.