12th smoking booth fire raises concerns about proper planning｜Formosa English News

Bilingual text here: https://english.ftvnews.com.tw/news/2026A26W09EA?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description 雙語文字版: https://english.ftvnews.com.tw/news/2026A26W09EA?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description Our official website: ➔ https://english.ftvnews.com.tw/ Follow us on Facebook: ➔ https://www.facebook.com/ftvformosanews X (Twitter): ➔ https://x.com/FTV_Taiwan_News Thick smoke filled a negative-pressure smoking booth near a department in Xinyi District on Sunday night, prompting an emergency response from firefighters. But it’s far from an isolated incident; it was the 12th in a string of smoke and smoldering reports at smoking rooms in the past five months. The sheer amount of fire scares has prompted accusations that the city government rushed the facilities into operation for political points. Let’s hear more. Chien Shu-pei Taipei City Councilor (DPP) Including yesterday’s incident, there’s been 12 fire-related reports. It’s really put our firefighters through the wringer. Did Taipei consider a design that prevents butts from continuing to burn? It shows that Mayor Chiang Wan-an rushed the negative-pressure smoking rooms to score political points without any proper planning. Member of public Hopes smokers will be responsible In crowded areas like this, they should deploy police officers or firefighters, so that any fires can be put out fast. I also hope smokers will be more considerate. Member of public Commenting on incident It depends. If the regulations are OK, it should all be fine. But if the fires are constant, we need to check what’s causing them. Chiang Wan-an Taipei Mayor We are aware of the situation. The Xinyi District Office responded to the incident immediately. The Department of Health has convened a meeting to make improvements to the use and design of the disposal bins. The latest incident was reportedly caused by an accumulation of cigarette butts in an ashtray, some of which had not been fully extinguished, causing them to smolder and produce thick smoke. Mayor Chiang Wan-an has long touted his push for a smoke-free city and the installation of these negative-pressure smoking booths as key achievements. But with repeated incidents raising concerns, questions are mounting over whether the facilities were adequately planned, and whether public safety was compromised. For more Taiwan news, tune in: Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152 Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53 #smoking #nonsmoker #smoker #booth #taipei #台灣新聞 #FormosaEnglishNews #民視新聞 #FTV新聞 #Taiwan