Short circuit likely cause of deadly Changhua blaze: fire bureau

Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) A fire that broke out in a residential building in Changhua County, central Taiwan, early Thursday morning was likely caused by a short circuit in the electrical wiring, according to the county's fire bureau.

The bureau said that an inspection conducted after the fire was extinguished led firefighters to suspect that the fire originated on the first floor of the four-story structure.

Faulty wiring that caused a short circuit which resulted in an electrical fire was the most likely reason why a blaze took the life of a 3-year-old child and his father, while two other family members were seriously injured, the bureau said.

Upon arriving at the scene, the bureau said firefighters discovered that the first floor was cluttered with hoarded items which would have made escaping the residence difficult after the fire started.

At around 4:40 a.m. Thursday, firefighters were notified of a burning residence and were later told five people were trapped inside.

Firefighters later rescued a 32-year-old man surnamed Hsu (徐) from the building who told them that his sister, her husband and their two children, were still trapped inside on the second floor.

When the rescue team reached the four family members, they had all suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and were rushed to hospital, local authorities said.

The couple were taken to Show Chwan Memorial Hospital and the two children to Changhua Christian Hospital.

The husband, surnamed Chung (鐘), and his 3-year-old son were pronounced dead after efforts to resuscitate them failed, authorities said.

As of press time, Chung's wife and their 7-month-old daughter remain unconscious.

The fire was put out at about 5:20 a.m., less than an hour after 15 firetrucks, 46 firefighters and six ambulances were dispatched to the scene, according to the bureau.

Neighbors of the family later revealed that the house was originally occupied only by Hsu and his mother, adding that his sister's family only recently moved in.