PUBLISHED ONJanuary 12, 2026 7:43 AMBYSean LerBasic firefighting and lifesaving skills can come in handy and help prevent tragedies from happening, but how many of us can remember the simple steps involved?
A Starbucks barista in Taiwan provided a timely reminder of the importance of these skills on Saturday (Jan 10), when he was seen putting out an electrical box fire calmly and confidently in videos circulating on social media.
The incident happened at about 7pm outside the first-floor unit of a building along Nanjing West Road in Taiwan's Taipei City.
In the video, the long-haired male barista is seen taking a brief moment to prepare an extinguisher he brought along, before calmly approaching the fire and aiming the nozzle at the flames.
Within seconds, the fire is put out and the barista stops to assess the situation, before unloading the extinguisher a second time to ensure that the fire is doused.
@asiaone Social media users on Threads praised the long-haired male barista for his proficient firefighting skills. Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher and the PASS method? #news #Taiwan #Fire #Starbucks ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Taiwanese media reported that firefighters responding to the incident later confirmed that the flames were put out by the barista before they arrived, adding that investigations are ongoing.
In the comments section of a post on Threads, which has received more than 72,000 reactions, the social media platform's users praised the barista for this quick-thinking and calm handling of the situation.
One user said: "I am a former Starbucks employee. During our onboarding, there are training sessions to explain and demonstrate the use of fire extinguishers to us. The district's manager will also conduct spot checks to ensure that employees are familiar with the use of fire extinguishers."
Her comment received more than 3,800 positive responses.
"As a firefighter, I can only say that the barista saved lives on that day. It is because she put out the fire, preventing it from spreading, that a tragedy was averted that day. The Starbucks employee's actions are commendable. Without training or some proficiency, most people would not have been able to handle the situation like this," another user wrote.
More information on Singapore's community emergency preparedness programmes can be found on the People's Association's website.
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