TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A fire broke out at an acrylic sheet manufacturing plant in Kaohsiung City on Friday (July 14) morning, sending huge plumes of black smoke into the sky that could be seen for at least a kilometer.

The fire broke out after a boiler was believed to have exploded at the Sumipex TechSheet Co., Ltd. factory at the Nanzih Export Processing Zone in Kaohsiung City, reported UDN. There have not been any reports of people being trapped or injured.

(CNA photo)

The fire department dispatched 55 vehicles and 130 firefighters to the scene. Sumipex TechSheet is a subsidiary enterprise of Japan's Sumitomo Chemical.

The predecessor of Sumipex TechSheet was Jiuh Mei Enterprise Co., which was founded in 1968. After the well-known Japanese company Sumitomo Chemical acquired Jiuh Mei in 2009, it became a 100% wholly foreign-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo, and is based in the Nanzih Export Processing Zone.

(CNA photo)

Sumipex TechSheet manufactures acrylic sheets use pure MMA (methyl methacrylate monomer) raw materials produced by Sumitomo Chemical in Japan. It is considered a world-class cast acrylic sheet factory.

Residents reported the strong smell of burning plastic in the air in Zuoying District and Gushan Districts. Testing is being conducted by Kaohsiung City's Environmental Protection Bureau on air quality in downwind areas such as Nanzi, Zuoying, Gushan, Qianjin, Sanmin, Cijin, and Qianzhen districts. Residents in those areas are advised to close their doors and windows and reduce outdoor activities, reported ETtoday.

(New-reporter.com photo)

(Facebook, 楠梓社團 photo)

(Facebook, 楠梓社團 photo)