<Anchor>
At dawn today (14th), a big fire broke out in a 13-story mixed-use building in Taiwan.
With 46 people dead so far, it is possible that someone set the fire on purpose.
This is Beijing Correspondent Ji-Sung Kim.
<Reporter>
Fireworks flashed on the first floor of the building, and immediately the flames soared fiercely.
The flames spread throughout the upper floors of the building, and firefighters tried to extinguish it, but eventually engulfed the entire building.
At around 2:40 a.m. today, a fire broke out in a residential and commercial building in Kaohsiung, a city in southern Taiwan.
This 13-story building was built 40 years ago. At the time of the fire, the first to fifth floors were closed, and about 120 households lived on the seventh to fifth floors.
The fire spread quickly in the early morning hours, and the residents were concentrated on high floors, causing great damage.
[Resident: (Is there anyone inside yet?) Yes, there are residents.
(Is everyone waiting inside?)]
Taiwanese media reported that so far, 46 people have been killed and 41 people have been injured.
It is said that many of the injured were seriously injured, and the loss of life could be greater.
[Xu Guo-yung / Taiwan Interior Minister: Five teams are searching and rescuing each house from the 7th to the 11th floor.] The
fire department was a
witness
that the fire started on the first floor, where no residents were living, and that they heard a
quarrel
from outside.
We do not rule out the possibility of arson based on statements, etc.
(Video coverage: Choi Duk-hyun, video editing: Kim Ho-jin, CG: Lee Ah-reum, video source: Minsquay Shimbun·Free Times)