3 killed in New Taipei residential building fire

New Taipei, June 13 (CNA) A fire broke out early Thursday morning in New Taipei's Tucheng District, claiming the lives of three people, according to the city's Fire Department.

In a statement, the department said the fire broke out on the fourth floor of a seven-story residential building in an alley off the district's Yanshou Road at 3:22 a.m.

After the fire started, it expanded to the top floor of the building, scorching a total of 150 square meters, the department said.

The department deployed 136 firefighters and 50 fire trucks to the site. The fire was under control by 4:27 a.m. and out completely by 4:35 a.m.

The department said there were five people in the unit where the fire is thought to have originated.

While the father and daughter of the family were able to escape, the department subsequently found two men in their 20s and a 50-year-old woman who all suffered cardiac arrest in the fourth floor apartment unit.

The three individuals were all pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.

According to the department, the woman was likely the mother, while the two men were likely to be the son and a friend of the daughter.

Although the reason for the fire is still being investigated, the department said preliminary findings suggested it may have started in a corner of the living room and that lithium batteries on charge could have been the cause.

The residents of the building told the department that they had tried to put out the fire, but that it expanded too quickly and explosion occurred.

Residents of the building will be relocated for the time being by the Tucheng District Office.