Mother, 2 daughters killed in Taichung residential fire

Taichung, April 15 (CNA) A fire broke out at a residence in Taichung's Dali District early Tuesday morning, killing a 26-year-old mother and her two daughters, local authorities said.

The Taichung City Fire Department responded to the fire that broke out at 12:10 a.m. by sending 21 fire vehicles and 48 firefighters to the scene, the department said in a statement.

When the firefighters arrived, they saw smoke and flames coming from a sheet metal-covered unit built on top of a two-story brick building on Zhongxing Road.

The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes and fully extinguished by 12:40 a.m., firefighters said, adding that the blaze consumed furniture and miscellaneous items, covering an area of about 40 square meters.

Three female victims -- a 5-year-old, a 7-year-old, and a 26-year-old -- were discovered in a room in the third floor structure. They were later identified as a mother and her two daughters.

None of them had vital signs and were pronounced dead at the scene, according to rescue personnel.

Firefighters found that the front section of the third-floor unit was set up as a shrine and that the mother and her daughters lived in a room behind it. They suspect that the three were asleep when the blaze occurred and were unable to escape in time.

A preliminary investigation by police identified the homeowner as the mother's boyfriend, who was not in at the time. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.