Police on Thursday arrested a man who is suspected of deliberately starting a fire that killed six members of a family in New Taipei City last month.
The suspect, surnamed Tang (湯), held a grudge against the family and he allegedly set a scooter ablaze, which started the fire, police said.
The fire, which broke out early in the morning on Wednesday last week, was found to have started from a scooter parked under the pedestrian arcade of a residential building in the city’s Sanchong District (三重).
The fire from the scooter spread to the building, resulting in the death of six members of a family who were living on the fourth floor.
Police said they targeted Tang as a key suspect after a surviving member of the family disclosed information about a dispute with Tang over a personal injury matter.
After reviewing footage from a surveillance camera, police said they discovered that Tang was at the scene on the day of the fire.
Police said they arrested Tang at his rented residence on Thursday and seized evidence, such as a raincoat and a helmet that he might have been wearing when he allegedly started the blaze.
Tang confessed to setting the fire during questioning yesterday, police said.
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