2 dead, 1 seriously injured in Taoyuan fire

Taoyuan, Nov. 9 (CNA) A fire in northern Taiwan's Taoyuan on Wednesday claimed two lives and left one person in a critical condition, Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office said Thursday.

According to prosecutors, the fire started at 7:28 p.m. Wednesday in a house on Longshou Street in the city's Taoyuan District, resulting in the deaths of an 85-year-old woman surnamed Kan (干) and a 57-year-old woman surnamed Chien (簡), while severely injuring an eight-year-old boy surnamed Kan (干).

Kan and Chien were the boy's great-grandmother and grandmother, prosecutors added.

After a preliminary investigation conducted by the prosecutors office and Taoyuan Fire Department, prosecutors said the fire started in the great-grandmother's bedroom and could have been caused by her deliberately setting the mattress on fire with a lighter.

However, the exact cause of the fire is still being investigated, they added.

The great-grandmother did not have a good relationship with the grandmother and had been emotionally unstable following the recent death of the grandmother’s husband, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, the great-grandmother's body was burned beyond recognition when found by firefighters with the lighter found next to her.

Meanwhile, the boy and his grandmother showed no vital signs when found. The grandmother was later pronounced dead at the hospital, while the boy was resuscitated but remains in intensive care, prosecutors said.