A fire that engulfed the upper floors of a high-rise building in central Taiwan, killing four people, could have been started by welding equipment being used in a new restaurant, firefighters said on Sunday.
The fire on the 22-floor Golden Plaza Tower building in Taichung city blazed for about 80 minutes on Saturday before it was put out, firefighters said.
Investigations showed it could have started on the 18th floor where a new restaurant was being prepared to open on March 1.
”After a check of the 18th floor, where interior decoration was being done, we found several oxygen and acetylene cylinders,” Shih Wen-chieh, chief of a firefighting unit in the city, told reporters.
”They may have been related to the fire but an in-depth investigation would be required before finding the cause of the fire.”
Huang Ying-kui, an employee of the company that manages the building, was found dead on the 18th floor holding a hose and apparently trying to put out the blaze, the firefighters said.
The 18th floor was badly burnt, prosecutor Yeh Po-yueh from the Taichung district court said after checking the venue.
Hung Ping-yao, chairperson of the building’s management group, said: ”We did safety checks every six months, and every time, we passed the checks.”
Nine people thought to have been eating in a restaurant had to be plucked from the roof of the building by helicopters, Taiwanese television reports showed.
Television reports also showed flames and heavy black smoke pouring out of the upper floors of the high-rise, one of the largest buildings in Taichung.
At least 1 000 people fled the building amid the alarm, report said. — Sapa-AFP