Kaohsiung bridal wear shop suffers losses of over NT$200m in fire

Kaohsiung, Sept. 10 (CNA) A Kaohsiung bridal wear shop has been hit with losses of over NT$200 million (US$6.22 million) following a fire on Tuesday afternoon, according to the shop owner.

The shop owner, surnamed Chien (錢), told reporters that their accountant returned from visiting the bank in the afternoon and saw smoke coming from the shop's fourth floor.

The Kaohsiung Fire Bureau said 32 firetrucks and 95 firefighters were dispatched to the scene on Linsen 1st Rd after the bureau received a call reporting the fire at 2:52 p.m.

It added that the fire was put out by 3:52 p.m. and no one was injured. Chien said the shop was closed today.

He said there were more than 5,000 wedding dresses on the second and third floors of the shop, while the fourth floor served as a photo studio. Financial losses are estimated at over NT$200 million.

According to Chen I-hsiung (陳義雄), who heads the bureau's First District Emergency and Rescue Corps, the bridal wear shop was engulfed in flames given the wedding dresses and interior decor were flammable.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he added.