Two men have been detained on suspicion of negligent homicide and manufacturing drugs after a fire broke out at a residence in Tamsui District (淡水) on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring another.
Police said they discovered an exploded gas cylinder and the Category 2 narcotic etomidate — an anesthetic that is consumed using vapes — at the scene.
The fire broke out late on Wednesday night in a two-story building on Zhong’ai Street, police said.
Photo: CNA
The two suspects, a 26-year-old surnamed Chen (陳) and a 27-year-old surnamed Kuo (郭), stole a car and fled after the fire broke out and were arrested in Sanjhih District (三芝), police said.
Firefighters found the charred remains of a 24-year-old man surnamed Lin (林) on the second floor, while a 27-year-old man surnamed Chen (陳) was found on the first floor with burns on both his legs and was rushed to hospital, police said.
Investigators found that all four people were on the second floor when the fire broke out.
The three survivors avoided discussing key issues when giving their statements, police said.
The injured Chen told police that the fire broke out as soon as he went upstairs, and the two suspects who fled said they were playing games in the living room on the second floor at the time.
Police said they collected urine samples from the two suspects and transferred them to prosecutors for further investigation, advising that they be detained.
The two are suspected of theft, causing a fire, negligent homicide and contravening the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例) by manufacturing a Category 2 narcotic, the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office said.
As they are strongly suspected of committing the crimes and there is a risk of them fleeing and colluding with accomplices or witnesses, prosecutors said they applied late last night to detain them incommunicado.
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