Taiwanese actress Ye Tingzhen shares details of fire accident: 'I suffocated from inhaling too much smoke'

Taiwanese actress Ye Tingzhen said that she took prompt action and called for help after seeing the fire. Photos: Ye Tingzhen/Facebook

Taiwanese actress Ye Tingzhen revealed on Sunday (Dec 18) that a fire broke out at a downstairs unit in her apartment building.

In an interview with TVBS News, the 39-year-old star recalled smelling something burning in her living room at around 9pm.

She brushed it off thinking it was the smell of her induction cooker. When the smell became stronger however, Ye decided to step outside to investigate.

To her horror, she saw fire coming from downstairs.

“There was this huge pillar of fire at the stairwell and I kept screaming. I quickly called for rescue and shouted for my son to leave,” the actress said.

Fortunately, the firefighters were quick to arrive and they rescued Ye and her family.

Shortly after the incident, Ye took to Facebook to thank the firefighters for saving her family. She also expressed her gratitude to the 119 operator who remained on the phone with her while waiting for help to arrive.

Ye's post was accompanied by a photo of herself wearing an oxygen mask while being carried away on a stretcher. Although there were no serious injuries, the actress said that the incident traumatised her family.

“I suffocated from inhaling too much smoke while escaping. My son was also shaken. He couldn’t rest well for two days,” she explained.

In a follow-up post on Tuesday (Dec 20), Ye revealed that the fire started due to a short circuit in an unattended unit on the second floor.

She added that the tenants of said unit promised to provide compensation for all the damages caused by the fire.