Suspect detained for murder in deadly Taichung house fire

Taipei, Nov. 4 (CNA) A 64-year-old man has been detained and held incommunicado on suspicion of starting a house fire that killed his former landlord and her daughter in Taichung early Monday, authorities said.

Taichung prosecutors said Tuesday that the Taichung District Court had approved their request to detain the man, surnamed Hsu (許), on suspicion of murder, given the serious nature of the crime and the risk that he could try to flee, collude with witnesses or destroy evidence.

In the case in question, the Taichung Fire Department said it received a call at 2:15 a.m. Monday about a fire at a residence on Wuguang Road in the city's Wuri District.

Firefighters arriving at the scene found a 50-year-old woman and her 17-year-old daughter inside the burnt-out home in a state of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Both were later pronounced dead at an area hospital.

Taichung police investigating the case said a van without license plates belonging to Hsu was found badly damaged at the scene.

According to police, Hsu was a tenant of a property owned by the victims' family for over 20 years, but was served an eviction notice by the family in July.

A member of the landlord's family, who identified Hsu as a suspect to police, said he believed the family's former tenant may have caused the fire because of the contentious nature of his eviction.

The landlord's family had also taken legal action against Hsu in the run-up to the incident, accusing him of sexually harassing the deceased teenage victim, police said.

Hsu was arrested at 4:20 a.m. Monday after his daughter contacted police to report that her father had tried to take his own life, police said.

Following a preliminary investigation, Hsu was transferred to the custody of Taichung prosecutors, who were granted permission on Tuesday to hold him in pre-charge detention.

Police on Monday said Hsu was suspected of ramming his van into the victims' home, but have yet to explain how he allegedly set the fire that led to their deaths.