New taipei: Firefighters put out a fire at a chemical factory in a rural part of New Taipei's Sanxia District on Sunday, but warned local residents to close their doors and windows as a precaution against dense and foul-smelling smoke.

According to Focus Taiwan, the New Taipei Fire Department said it received a call at 3:46 p.m. Sunday about a fire at a chemical factory on Hongdao Road in a mountainous area to the southwest of Sanxia's city center. Due to the presence of large quantities of hydrogen peroxide and sodium dithionite, which can produce the toxic gas sulfur dioxide when exposed to high temperatures or water, firefighters had to wear breathing gear and other protective equipment before entering the premises.

A total of fifty-two fire vehicles and 152 firefighters were dispatched to tackle the blaze, which was successfully extinguished around 5 p.m. A preliminary survey revealed that approximately 20 square meters of the factory had been affected by the fire, although the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

The fire, along with the water used to extinguish it, resulted in a pungent, sulfurous smell around the factory. Consequently, the department advised residents in the surrounding, predominantly rural area to keep their doors and windows shut as a safety measure. Meanwhile, New Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection noted that the current wind direction was unlikely to carry the smoke toward downtown Sanxia, but still advised people to wear masks when venturing outdoors.