TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two young children died in a fire that broke out in their house as their mother was outside running an errand.
A fire was reported in a three-section compound at Jingpu Village in Chiayi County’s Minxiong Township on Monday morning (Oct. 16), reported ETtoday. The daughter, aged four, and son, aged two, were found dead in the home, which had been locked by their mother from the outside as she went to handle low-income household registration.
Their father, surnamed Ho (何), and their mother, surnamed Chang (張), who live in the home reportedly have five children. That morning, Ho, 33, left for work, and three of the children went to school, leaving Chang, 32, to take care of the two youngest children.
(Facebook, Breaking News Commune photo)
Village head Ho Ching-hsin (何清鑫) told the news agency that the Ho family is classified as a low-income household, and they need to periodically renew their eligibility at the local government office. That morning, a village staff member contacted Chang to request she handle low-income household registration, so Chang left to take care of the paperwork and update her bank passbook.
Chiayi County Councilor Chen Wen-chung (陳文忠) was cited as saying that it was apparently Chang’s habit to leave the younger children in their bedroom and lock the door to the room and the main door when she had to go out for short errands. “Unexpectedly, a fire broke out, and the young siblings could not escape in time, leading to their untimely deaths,” said Chen.
(Facebook, Breaking News Commune photo)
After the Chiayi County Fire Department received the fire report, it dispatched 15 vehicles and 29 personnel to conduct rescue efforts. However, when the 2-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl were retrieved from the house, they had already lost vital signs.
The boy suffered burns to 83% of his body, with 50% being fourth-degree burns. He suffered burns in various areas except for the abdominal region.
(CNA photo)
His heart had already stopped before reaching Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital. Despite 33 minutes of resuscitation efforts, he was declared dead at 11:40 a.m.
The exact cause of the fire and whether the parents were negligent are still under investigation.
