A fire at a barbecue restaurant in New Taipei's Sanchong District left diners trapped on the second floor. Some escaped by jumping from windows, and nine people were taken to hospital.

Firefighters responded to the call and brought the blaze under control. The cause is under investigation, with cooking equipment and the exhaust system named as first areas to check.

Barbecue restaurants using charcoal or gas handle open flame continuously. Exhaust ducts coated with grease can channel fire rapidly, which is why regular cleaning is treated as central to safety management.

Securing escape routes matters especially on upper floors. Where there is only one staircase, or windows are locked, options disappear within a short time.

That diners were injured jumping is not unrelated to such conditions. Authorities plan to review the state of the escape facilities as well.

Both South Korea and Taiwan have dense clusters of multi-story restaurants in urban commercial districts. The smaller the premises, the more easily fire safety inspections slip down the priority list, a challenge shared on both sides.