Kaohsiung lithium battery plant fire reignites, company makes public apology
Monday’s lithium battery fire at Molie Quantum Technology Corporation’s warehouse in Kaohsiung was put out for a while, only to reignite hours later. Now, almost 27 hours since the incident, the fire was finally extinguished. Amid public outrage, the company made a formal apology in person, but local borough chiefs and the district legislator were not having it.
The fire that broke out in the early hours of Monday was put out, only to reignite in the evening. Meanwhile, fire trucks continue to spray water for cooling.
Lin Yi-chieh
Kaohsiung City Fire Bureau
The fire has been put out. There’s still some heat at the scene. We’re continuing with watering to cool down the temperature.
Some 27 hours after the original fire, it’s finally put out again. But the damage was already done. Local residents are reluctant to take off their masks, which they wore to protect themselves against toxins in the smog.
Local resident
There was also the smell in the evening, just not as strong. It’s so toxic, I don’t even know whether wearing a face mask actually works.
A sample collected at the scene shows that the fire came from these Molicel 21700 lithium-ion batteries. A 21700 battery measures 21mm in diameter and 70mm in length, and is used to power high-performance devices and applications in electric aircrafts, space technology and AI. A total of 2 million of these Molicels were lost in the fire.
The day after the fire started, the general manager of Molie Quantum Technology Corporation and high-level managers of its parent company, Taiwan Cement Corporation made a public apology. However, they could not say what exactly caused the fire in the first place.
Yeh Yu-chun
Taiwan Cement group deputy GM
Because all of our processes are designed to be fully automated, when it’s in operation, it’s likely that there were faults in operations this time, which led to the fire. We cannot say for sure what caused the fire for now.
Molie Quantum Technology says the fire started at a warehouse for semi-finished lithium-ion batteries. Prior to the incident, the batteries were undergoing a last-stage performance evaluation, during which the automated sensors identified overheating. However, the fire extinguishing equipment on site could not bring down the fire. In the end, there were even explosions from the sparks, which caused injuries to 12 staff members and three firefighters.
The fire severely compromised the air quality nearby. However, Molie Quantum Energy’s general manager insists that there’s no leakage of the highly corrosive and toxic hydrogen fluoride. Local borough chiefs are not having it.
Lai Jui-lung
Local district legislator
The people’s safety is the utmost priority, preventing air pollution is also a priority. If Molie Quantum Energy cannot ensure these things, then we also reject the company’s presence here.
Meanwhile, netizens are posting online, claiming they were notified by the Pingtung County Government, that the toxic gases have already traveled south, to townships such as Chaozhou and Wanluan, and that people are advised to shower after being out in the rain. The Pingtung County Government clarified that the message is fabricated, and cited air quality figures as proof. The county government also reported disseminators of the fake message to the police.
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
#Kaohsiung #fire #breaking #breakingnews #batterysafety #safety #firehazard
2025-07-15
