A fire swept through an eight-floor apartment building in Taipei County early yesterday morning, killing 13 people and injuring 70.
The Panchiao District Prosecutors' Office said the blaze was started by a resident of the first floor, Hsu Jui-chin (
After arguing with her husband the night before, the woman poured varnish on herself and set herself alight.
PHOTO: HUANG CHI-HAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The fire, in Luchou, broke out around 1:50am and quickly spread to the upper floors.
The fire and smoke woke up many residents. Some fled to the top floor, but many found the fire was outside their door and iron bars on their windows prevented escape.
Alleys in the neighborhood were too small for fire trucks to pass through.
Firefighters began battling the blaze on the lower floors and then set up ladders and other rescue equipment to help the trapped residents.
Some could not wait for help to arrive and attempted to use the building's escape equipment. Many of them, however, were unable to hold on to the escape rope and plunged to the ground.
Firefighters had completely extinguished the blaze by about 4am.
According to the preliminary investigation, the fire started in a parking space for scooters.
Witnesses said they heard an argument from a couple downstairs before the fire broke out.
Hsu's husband, Chiou Tsun-sheng (邱春生), surrendered to police and explained what had happened.
"I argued with my wife the night before. I am a house painter and had stored lots of varnish at home, but I did not imagine my wife would set fire to the varnish to get back at me and cause this tragedy," Chiou said.
Hsu was badly burnt and was sent to the intensive care unit at the Shin Kong Wu Ho Wu Memorial Hospital (
The hospital said she was in critical condition.
Police have not been able to talk to her.
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and instructed government departments to help with disaster relief.
"I am very sorry to hear about the fire, and I give my condolences to the victims and the families of the deceased on behalf of the entire country," Chen said.
He also demanded that police determine the cause of the fire as soon as possible to prevent similar tragedies from happening again, and said that those responsible should be disciplined.
Chen said he hoped that the local government would handle disaster relief and safety issues well.
Chen went to the Taipei Veterans General Hospital yesterday afternoon to visit the injured. He was accompanied by Premier Yu Shyi-kun and Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
A Chinese aircraft carrier group entered Japan’s economic waters over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said yesterday. The Liaoning aircraft carrier, two missile destroyers and one fast combat supply ship sailed about 300km southwest of Japan’s easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday, a ministry statement said. It was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered that part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a ministry spokesman said. “We think the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas,” the spokesman said. China’s growing
BUILDUP: US General Dan Caine said Chinese military maneuvers are not routine exercises, but instead are ‘rehearsals for a forced unification’ with Taiwan China poses an increasingly aggressive threat to the US and deterring Beijing is the Pentagon’s top regional priority amid its rapid military buildup and invasion drills near Taiwan, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday. “Our pacing threat is communist China,” Hegseth told the US House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense during an oversight hearing with US General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Beijing is preparing for war in the Indo-Pacific as part of its broader strategy to dominate that region and then the world,” Hegseth said, adding that if it succeeds, it could derail
COMPLIANCE: The SEF has helped more than 3,900 Chinese verify documents, indicating that most of those affected are willing to cooperate, the MAC said More than 3,100 spouses from China have submitted proof of renunciation of their Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The National Immigration Agency has since April issued notices to spouses to submit proof that they had renounced their Chinese household registration on or before June 30 or their Taiwanese household registration would be revoked. People having difficulties obtaining such a document can request an extension of the deadline or submit a written affidavit in lieu of it. The council said it would hold a briefing at 2:30pm on Friday at the immigration agency’s Taichung office in cooperation with the
The government-funded human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is to be expanded to boys at junior-high school starting in September, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday. The Taiwan Society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Taiwan Immunization Vision and Strategy, the Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan, the Taiwan Head and Neck Society, the Formosa Cancer Foundation and the National Alliance of Presidents of Parents Associations held a joint news conference in Taipei yesterday to raise public awareness about the risks of HPV infection, regardless of gender. Invited to give an address, HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun
RSS