One killed, 3 injured in Hualien City apartment building fire

Taipei, Nov. 19 (CNA) One man was killed and three others were injured in a fire that broke out in a three-story apartment building in Hualien City late Tuesday, according to the Hualien County Fire Bureau.

Firefighters said four tenants were removed from the building consisting entirely of rental units on Guofu 9th Street.

One of them, a 69-year-old man surnamed Yao (姚) who lived on the second floor, suffered severe smoke inhalation and was found in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest before being rushed to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The three other victims survived.

A 48-year-old man surnamed Wu (吳), also a second-floor resident, was taken to a hospital with smoke inhalation and later regained vital signs.

A 72-year-old man surnamed Chu (朱), who lived on the first floor, was hospitalized with smoke inhalation. A 70-year-old woman surnamed Chen (陳) sustained minor injuries and did not need to go to a hospital.

When crews arrived shortly after 9 p.m., flames were seen coming from a second-floor window. Residents told firefighters that the blaze originated in Yao's room, which was fully engulfed when rescuers entered.

The building's owner, surnamed Lin (林), said the property has 12 rooms and is mainly rented to elderly tenants, including individuals who require regular hospital visits and their caregivers due to its proximity to Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the bureau said.