October 22, 2025 | Hsinchu, Taiwan – The Hsinchu District Court has acquitted a Vietnamese migrant worker accused of causing a deadly fire in Hukou Township, Hsinchu County, last December 28, 2024, which claimed the life of Captain You Shanghua of the Xingong Fire Department. The court ruled that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence linking the accused to the fire.
The fire erupted on the morning of December 28, 2024, engulfing a residential building. Captain You entered the house to search for possible victims, but his oxygen supply ran out, and he inhaled excessive smoke. He was rushed to the hospital but later died of acute respiratory failure.
Prosecutors had charged Li Wenpan, along with Wu Shili (still at large) and Chen Guoquan (investigated separately), all identified as overstaying Vietnamese workers, with manslaughter and causing fire damage. Authorities alleged that the men had been smoking near a sofa on the second floor and failed to properly extinguish their cigarette butts, sparking the fire.
Li denied the allegations, stating he was asleep at the time of the fire and smoked in a different area of the house.
After reviewing the evidence, the court determined that while the fire originated near a living room sofa, there was no concrete proof that Li or the others were smoking at that location prior to the blaze. Investigators found used cigarette butts elsewhere in the house, but none at the fire’s point of origin.
The court concluded that the defendants’ habit of smoking indoors was insufficient to prove negligence that caused the fire. Consequently, Li Wenpan was acquitted of all charges. The verdict highlights the stringent evidentiary standards required in criminal negligence cases, even in incidents resulting in tragic loss of life.