Three family members dead after residential fire in Kaohsiung City

Three members of a family died after a fire in a four storey residential building in Kaohsiung City in the early hours of the morning today, January 15.

The Kaohsiung City fire department responded to reports of a fire in Fengshan District at 4:44 am. Twenty-eight vehicles and 62 personnel were dispatched to the scene.

Upon arrival, firefighters found a 33-year-old woman named Wu, holding a one-year-old infant, on a balcony on the third floor calling for help. Firefighters raised a ladder in order to send personnel up to rescue the woman, but Wu attempted to climb onto the ladder by herself. Despite pleas from firefighters who urged Wu to stay put and await rescue, Wu stumbled and fell. Wu subsequently died of severe head injuries, while the one year old infant she was holding was rescued and recovered heartbeat after first aid.

Wu’s 70-year-old mother-in-law, and 10-year-old daughter were found dead inside the apartment, having succumbed to smoke-related injuries.

Wu’s husband, Mr Chen, was out socializing with friends at the time of the fire and was questioned by police later in the morning.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

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