Two people died and two others were injured yesterday in a fire at a building that housed a pharmacy in Taitung City, local firefighters said.
Soon after the fire broke out at about 1am, a man in his 60s, surnamed Yu (游), escaped from the fire on his own and told firefighters who had rushed to the scene that there were three other people in the burning building.
Yu is the owner of the building that housed San Tai Pharmacy, which had been run by his family for more than six decades.
Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei Times
The firefighters found Yu’s wife, who is in her 60s, unconscious on the third floor and rescued her.
They also rescued Yu’s mother, who is in her 80s, from dense smoke on the same floor, and a female caregiver on the fourth floor.
Yu’s mother and the caregiver were found to be without vital signs after they were taken from the burning building, the firefighters said.
The fire was extinguished at about 2am and all four people were rushed to a nearby hospital, the firefighters said.
Yu’s wife and the caregiver, whose identity had not yet been determined as of press time last night, were pronounced dead at the hospital, they added.
The Taitung County Fire Department is investigating the source of the fire.
The burned building is opposite ShowTime Cinema on Xinsheng Road in Taitung City. Yu and his family lived above the pharmacy in the same building.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS