Fire breaks out at Federal’s Taiwan tyre factory

On the evening of 13 June 2022, a fire broke out at the tyre factory of Federal Corporation (formerly known as Taifeng Tire) in Zhongli City, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Black smoke from the fire was visible several kilometres away, according to local news reports.

The fire started at Federal’s tyre storage location outside the factory and reportedly lasted just half an hour, something that is credited to the rapid response of local firefighters. The fast response also limited the number of tyres burnt, with early indications suggesting just 100 tyres were lost. No significant injuries have been reported.

However, some local news sources suggested that the company itself was burning tyres and causing air pollution, suggestions that prompted a rebuttal from Federal officials in a statement to the Taiwan stock exchange:

“The company was not burning tyres [as] mentioned in the media. This is purely media speculation. Regarding the misleading and false reports, it should be clarified hereby to protect the company and all shareholders’ equity.”

Rather, Federal representatives gave the following account:

“At about 5:30 p.m. yesterday (13th) [June], the company [Federal] received a notification from the inspectors that the outdoor tyre storage area outside the Zhongli plant of the company was on fire, and we immediately notified the Fire Department to quickly control the fire.

“The fire did not spread and there were no casualties. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.”

Federal’s Taoyuan tyre factory has suffered a fire before. In January 2017, a fire broke out in the factory burning about 190,000 tyres.