Mother dead, son rescued from Taipei public housing blaze

Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) A 53-year-old woman died from a fire in a 17-story public housing building in Taipei's Daan District in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Seventeen fire trucks, four command vehicles and four ambulances were dispatched to Fuxing South Road after authorities received a report of the blaze at 4.14 a.m.

First-responders extracted a mother and son from the 16th floor unit where the fire started in the tall apartment building.

The mother, a 53-year-old identified by her surname Chueh (闕), was taken to nearby Cathay General Hospital where she was pronounced dead after efforts to restart her heart failed. Her 19-year-old son was found conscious and is currently receiving treatment.

Forty-five residents were also evacuated from the fire with the assistance of more than 60 police and firefighting personnel.

The fire, which burned through an area measuring approximately 10 square meters, was extinguished by 4.49 a.m.

While the cause of the blaze is still under investigation by firefighting authorities, police have already referred the case for judicial investigation.