Homeless man uses transformer box as locker, gets shocked and burned
Homeless man uses transformer box as locker, gets shocked and burned
2026-04-21
A homeless man in Tainan was left with extensive burns after he got a high-voltage electrical shock from a transformer box that ended up causing a fire. The man, surnamed Huang, has reportedly been in the area for 10 years. He somehow got the key to the transformer box and used it as a locker for recyclable waste that he planned to sell. Mr. Huang sustained injuries from the fire, which also caused a power outage at the elementary school nearby.
A fire has broken out on the lawn, right by the transformer box. Nearby, a man sits at the roadside, topless, because his shirt had caught fire and burned away.
He sustained extensive burns on the back and left elbow. He tries to soothe the pain with a hose.
- I got a shock from the wires inside and my whole body caught fire.
- The fire started when you stiffed things inside, right?
When the firefighters arrived, they rushed to cover his burns with wet gauze. But the area was so large that they ended up covering him with a bed sheet and wetted it. Then, he was carried onto the stretcher and sent to the hospital.
Lin Hsiao-peng
Tainan City Government Fire Bureau
According to our paramedics’ assessment, he has second-degree burns on the back and elbows.
The injured man, surnamed Huang, is a homeless person in the area. He usually stays near the intersection of Xialin Road and Xinxing Road in Tainan, and uses a high-voltage transformer box as a locker for the recyclables he plans to sell. That’s also how he got a high-voltage shock and caused an explosion. All three fuses inside the box were blown, and the nearby Xinxing Elementary School was also affected and had no electricity the next morning. It’s all because of this accident.
Tseng Kuo-chang
Xinxing Elementary School
Inside, there were cardboard fruit boxes and about two to three bags of large-sized waste. There was even an item of waste that was suspended in the air. He’s been in the area for about ten years. He puts all his recyclables and waste on the lawn, and even relives himself at the back.
The elementary school official says that Huang has long treated the nearby public space as his own dumping ground, and school kids often have to clean up after him, which is a real nuisance. But how did he manage to open the transformer box in the first place?
- He has the key.
- How did he get the key?
- We always lock up these boxes otherwise.
The transformer boxes are so dangerous that even Taipower technicians have to wear insulating protective clothing and gloves before working on them. It’s a miracle that Huang could even survive from such a high-voltage electrical shock. The accident revealed misappropriation of public facilities by the homeless man and perhaps even mismanagement of power infrastructure.
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#homeless #utilities #grid #electricity #infrastructure
變電箱當置物櫃 台南街友亂塞物品"觸電釀二度灼傷"
2026-04-21
台南一名黃姓街友，習慣把拾荒來的東西亂塞，這次他把東西塞進台電的高壓電變電箱裡，結果觸電，導致背部和手肘二度灼傷，痛得在路旁沖水。而變電箱三條保險絲都被燒掉，導致緊鄰的新興國小上午大停電，緊急找來台電人員搶修。
變電箱旁的草叢堆冒出火光，不遠處坐著一名打赤膊的男子，因為他的上衣被燒光。
男子背部和左手肘出現大面積的燒燙傷，痛得在路旁接水管沖水。
-被裡面的電線觸電，電到身上，整個身上燒起來
-你把東西塞進去的時候才整個起火是不是?
消防救護人員抵達後，趕緊替他敷上濕紗布，但面積實在太大，乾脆整張床單蓋上去，再淋水，讓他側躺在擔架上，趕緊送醫。
[[德興分隊救護人員 林孝芃]]
“經我們救護人員評估，為背部及手肘都有2度的燒燙傷。”
遭灼傷的黃姓男子是一名街友，平常都待在台南市夏林路和新興路口，把台電的高壓變電箱當做自家的置物櫃，把拾荒來的東西塞進去，結果誤觸高壓電，引發爆炸，三條保險絲都被燒掉。緊臨的新興國小也受到波及，校方一早來才發現怎麼全校都沒電，才發現是變電箱出問題。
[[新興國小教務主任 曾國彰]]
“(電箱)裡面大概就是一般的水果紙箱，還有大概2、3包大型垃圾，甚至有一個垃圾是吊在空中的。10年左右都他在鄰近出沒，回收啊、垃圾啊，全部塞在草叢啊，甚至在後面大小便。”
校方表示，這名黃姓街友長期佔地為王，東西到處亂塞，學生們還要幫他清理，實在很頭痛。但變電箱這麼危險的東西，怎麼會這麼輕易就能打開？
-他有鑰匙
-怎麼會有鑰匙?
-不然這個我們都有鎖，這個都有鎖起來
就連台電人員要檢修，也都要穿戴絕緣的防護衣和手套，小心翼翼。誤觸高壓電還能活命，也真的是命大。這起誤觸事件，除了燒出出街友不當占用的問題，變電箱的安全管理恐怕也要檢討。
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