Taipei mayor vows rebuilding support after Chih-Nan Temple fire

Taipei, Aug. 25 (CNA) Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) on Tuesday pledged the city government's full support for rebuilding Lingxiao Hall at Chih-Nan Temple in the Muzha area after a fire ravaged the 60-year-old Taoist structure the previous night.

During an inspection of the site with Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) and temple officials, Chiang said the city would establish a cross-agency task force to coordinate restoration efforts and provide administrative assistance to help the temple rebuild the hall as soon as possible.

"No one was injured, which is fortunate amid the tragedy," Chiang said.

The fire broke out at about 8:48 p.m. Monday at the well-known temple's Lingxiao Hall in Taipei's Wenshan District and was extinguished at 12:09 a.m. Tuesday after burning for more than three hours.

The cause remains under investigation.

The Taipei City Fire Department said the blaze damaged about 1,500 square meters of the structure, destroying the first floor and damaging about one-third of the second floor.

Fire officials said the hall's wooden structure and combustible materials, such as incense and joss paper, contributed to the rapid spread of flames. The temple's mountainous location, narrow roads and limited water supply also created difficulties.

The fire was brought under control at 10:07 p.m. Monday, followed by several hours of mopping-up operations and cooling work.

Chiang said the city's Department of Civil Affairs would lead a one-stop coordination mechanism involving the fire, cultural affairs, urban development and building management authorities.

After the fire investigation, experts will determine which parts of the damaged hall should be preserved and which can be removed, Chiang said.

Temple Management Committee Chairman Kao Chao-wen (高超文) said the fire caused the most severe damage to the Sanqing Hall and Tai Sui Hall sections, damaging statues including the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing daozu) and the Queen Mother of the West (Yaochi jinmu).

However, statues of the 60 Tai Sui deities on the rear of the first floor and the Jade Emperor on the second floor remained intact, Kao said.

He said temple officials would discuss restoration plans later Tuesday.

While Lingxiao Hall has been closed off, the rest of Chih-Nan Temple remains open, he added.

The temple is one of Taipei's most well-known religious sites, with a history dating back to around 1890. It primarily worships Lü Dongbin (呂洞賓), also known as Fuyou Dijun (孚佑帝君), one of the Eight Immortals in Taoism.

The damaged Lingxiao Hall was constructed between 1963 and 1966 and was among Taiwan's early large-scale modern Taoist structures, featuring six stories and a reinforced concrete design.