A preliminary investigation into the cause of a fire that partially destroyed Grass Mountain Chateau on Saturday found that the blaze was probably lit by arsonists, the Taipei City Fire Department said yesterday.
Traces of light aromatics, one of the ingredients of gasoline, were found on the northwest side of the chateau's restaurant and evidence indicated the fire began outdoors and spread into the building, Fire Department Commissioner Hsiung Kuang-hua (
"Light aromatics were found over one-third of the area where the fire started. It was very likely arson, but we need more evidence to prove it," Hsiung told a press conference at the department yesterday.
Hsiung said the department had not found any items at the fire's source that could have started the blaze, such as electronic devices or cigarettes, which also led them to suspect arson.
"The fire became fierce and burned down a large part of the chateau in only 15 minutes. A small area of origin for a fire should not cause such a big blaze, and so we suspect the fire was caused by a foreign substance," Hsiung said.
Commenting on the preliminary investigation results, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) expressed sadness that the destruction may have been a caused by arsonists and urged the public not to damage monuments.
"Grass Mountain Chateau is a historical monument. It's okay to criticize a historical figure, but please do not shift the anger to the monument. It's innocent," Hau said yesterday at Taipei City Hall.
The chateau, located in Yangmingshan National Park, was built in 1920 as a vacation home for Japan's Prince Hirohito and later became a summer retreat for dictator Chiang Kai-shek (
Hau said he had demanded the police department investigate the possible arson case.
The police department said it was investigating but did not have any suspects at this stage.
The buildings main exhibition hall, with an area of about 660m2, and the exhibits inside the chateau were destroyed in the fire, prompting pan-blue camp members to express suspicion that the blaze might be related to the Democratic Progressive Party's recent anti-Chiang campaign.
Commissioner of Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs Lee Yong-ping (
The department will invite academics and architecture experts to inspect the chateau today to discuss the restoration, Lee said.
The cost of restoring the chateau to match its original architecture, together with the cost of remaking replicas of its exhibits, could total NT$36 million (US$1 million).
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
RSS