New Taipei City — October 25, 2025 | A fire broke out at around 5:00 p.m. on Saturday in a residential unit above a dessert shop on Jiufen Old Street, Ruifang District, New Taipei City. Thick smoke billowed from the second floor, quickly spreading along the narrow lanes of the popular tourist destination. Tourists fled the scene covering their noses from the dense smoke.
The New Taipei City Fire Department’s 6th Disaster Rescue and Rescue Brigade received the alarm at 4:27 p.m. and immediately dispatched 27 fire trucks and 66 firefighters from Ruifang and nearby units. Upon arrival, firefighters found flames raging on the second floor with heavy smoke being carried by the wind. Crews swiftly broke into the building and managed to bring the fire under control within 30 minutes.
Authorities confirmed that no one was inside the building at the time of the incident and that no injuries or casualties occurred.
Four police officers from the Jiufen Branch of the Ruifang Police Station also responded to assist with crowd control and traffic management as emergency vehicles worked in the narrow old street area.
Preliminary reports indicate the blaze began in the residence above the dessert shop. The shop owner told police that the space was unoccupied when the fire started. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation by the fire department’s fire investigation unit.
Jiufen Old Street, known for its bustling tourist activity and tightly packed historic buildings, experienced brief chaos during the evacuation, but operations resumed after firefighters declared the scene safe.