5 dead in residential fire in Taoyuan

Taoyuan, Aug. 31 (CNA) A fire at a home in Taoyuan's Zhongli District early Sunday morning left one adult and four children dead, according to the northern Taiwan city's Fire Department.

The blaze broke out around 5 a.m. at a three-story residence made of reinforced concrete on Long'an Street, sending heavy flames and thick smoke into the air, the department said.

All five victims were trapped on the third floor and were later found without signs of life, the department reported.

The victims were identified as a 35-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), two boys aged 9 and 10, and two girls aged 9 and 10, all surnamed Yeh (葉). It was not clear whether or how the victims were related to each other.

The department said it dispatched 79 firefighting personnel, 27 fire trucks, and seven ambulances to the scene after receiving a report of the fire at 5:31 a.m.

The first crews arrived at 5:40 a.m., and the flames were brought under control at 6:08 a.m. and fully extinguished at 6:17 a.m., the fire department said.

The exact cause of the blaze, which burned an approximately 25-square-meter area, remains under investigation by fire investigators.