Seven people died in a suspected arson attack on an apartment complex in Tainan’s Yujing District (玉井) early yesterday.
The fire was reported at about 1am at the three-story building named Cian Bei Tang (前輩堂), which was used as a retreat for followers of the I Kuan Tao (一貫道) religious sect, and which housed 46 residents, the Tainan City Government Fire Bureau said.
Police are questioning a 21-year-old suspect surnamed Tseng (曾), after he called police claiming that he set the blaze.
Married couple Hsieh Chen-yi (謝振益) and Wu Li-ching (吳麗青), and their daughter, whose name was not given by police, were confirmed to have died in the incident. The family was living in the building to care for their daughter, who had a white blood cell disorder, police said.
Hsieh was identified as the younger brother of Tainan juvenile court judge Hsieh Jui-lung (謝瑞龍), who had previously provided counseling to Tseng and had suggested he spend time at a youth retreat for behavioral correction.
A man surnamed Chang (張) who manages Cian Bei Tang said that Hsieh Jui-lung later arranged privately for Tseng to move into the building.
As Tseng experienced emotional extremes, he was often in conflict with other residents of the building, Chang said, adding that other residents attempted to reason with Tseng and help him, but he refused and moved out after one year.
Tseng attempted to move back last year, but tenants rejected the idea on the grounds that he had become more aggressive than before, Chang said.
Tseng said at the time that he would come back and burn the building down, but the residents brushed off the threat as a harmless tantrum, Chang said.
Initial investigations showed that gasoline was used as an accelerant in the fire, which was started by igniting toilet paper in a stairwell between the building’s first and second floors, the bureau said.
The building’s wood construction combined with the presence of numerous combustibles inside the building caused the fire to spread quickly, it said.
Additional reporting by Wang Chieh
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