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Tainan: Fire kills a grandmother, two grandchildren in southern Taiwan

A fire engulfed a three story building early Friday morning, it reportedly started from a timber pile next to the family home

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Photo taken outside the home as fire fighters fought the blaze

Photo taken outside the home as fire fighters fought the blaze (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – At around 4:00 a.m. the morning of Feb. 1 in Tainan’s Xiaying District (下營區), a fire engulfed the third floor of a home and damaged other levels as well, resulting in the death of a grandmother and her two grandchildren.

The deceased victims were a 61 year old grandmother surnamed Huang(黃), and her two young grandchildren surnamed Feng (馮), a brother and sister, aged eight and six.

After receiving the report of a residential fire around 3:45 a.m., 16 fire engines, three ambulances, and 50 police officers were sent in response.

The flames were extinguished by 4:39 a.m., according to a report from Apple Daily. The fire is suspected to have started from a timber pile next to the house, as the homeowner was engaged in collecting wood for carpentry and decoration purposes.

The building was home to a family of 10, four adults and six children. Seven family members safely escaped the blaze through a second floor window, with the help of neighbors who arrived quickly with a ladder.

However, the grandmother and two children became trapped by the flames and were unable escape. After the fire was extinguished, fire fighters discovered the badly burned bodies of the grandmother and a child in a first floor bedroom. The second child’s body was found on the third floor.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, according to reports.