A late-night fire on a vacant lot in Tainan's Annan District triggered a powerful explosion that injured 15 people. Three people, including the local borough chief, have been ordered detained at prosecutors' request, and the incident is developing into a question of political responsibility for the Tainan City Government.

• What was piled on the vacant lot was not ordinary refuse but highly hazardous, flammable industrial waste containing magnesium and aluminium, which detonated as firefighters were putting out the blaze.
• Prosecutors brought in borough chief Cheng and two other men, holding that they were under strong suspicion, and the court approved their detention incommunicado.
• The landowner said the land had been lent free of charge to the borough chief for use as a car park for more than a decade. Both the landowner and the borough chief say they do not know the broker involved in the case, and it remains unclear who approved the dumping, who brokered the arrangement, and where the money went.
• The KMT questioned how, when workers at a nearby construction project had all seen outside vehicles entering to dump material and had photographed it, no one in the city government or the local inspection system spotted, reported or acted on it.
• The dispute centres on whether this was collective dereliction of duty or a case of someone deliberately turning a blind eye.

Outlook: Prosecutors and investigators will pursue the source of the waste and the flow of funds. Whether the Tainan City Government launches an internal investigation, and how it accounts for the gaps in inspection, will be where the political pressure falls next.