Residential Fire Kills Five Members of Same Family 台中大里民宅惡火釀5死 屋主脫困逃生

Five of six members of a Taichung family that were at home when a fire broke out in their townhouse at 3 a.m. unfortunately did not survive.

Explosions can be heard coming from inside the home. Firefighters were called to this building on Taichung's Dongnnan Road at 3 a.m. on the 6th. The 66-year-old homeowner, who was on the first floor, managed to crawl out on his own, but his five family members on higher already had no vital signs by the time firefighters found them.

Chan Jen-chieh, Captain, Taichung City Fire Bureau Third Corps: “There were two people on the second floor and three on the third. Unfortunately, all had suffered OHCAs by the time we arrived.”

He opened his door and crawled out. He said he still had family members inside and they couldn't get down to the first floor. The smoke was very dense. It was hard to breathe. The five members of the family that were rescued were pronounced dead at the hospital. They included the 62-year-old wife of the homeowner, their 38-year-old daughter, 32-year-old second son, and 12-year-old and 6-month-old grandsons.

Chen Ta-min, Asia University Hospital Emergency Medicine Chief: “They didn't have any vital signs when they arrived at the hospital. Their pupils were dilated and their bodies and oral and nasal cavities were covered in carbon particles. We gave them emergency treatment but to no avail.”

The fire was extinguished at 5:25 a.m. A short while later, fire investigators arrived on the scene along with the homeowner's eldest son, who had been at work. The son believes the fire may have been started by a 10-year-old electric heater.

Mr. Chen, Homeowner's Son: “(It may have been) the electric heater. (How old is it?) You mean that one? It's pretty old. It's probably around six or seven or close to 10 years old.”

The Fire Bureau says the fire probably started on the first floor and the residents on the upper floors may have fallen into unconsciousness in their sleep from smoke inhalation. The city government will provide the surviving members of the family with financial aid to help them get back on their feet.

3層樓透天陷入火海，消防員破門灌救。台中市大里區東南路一處民宅，6日凌晨3時許發生火警，現場不時傳出爆炸聲。消防局出動搶救，66歲陳姓屋主因為行動不便住一樓，自行爬出脫困。另外住樓上的5人被救出時，已經沒有生命徵象。

台中市消防三大隊大隊長詹仁傑指出：「2樓跟3樓分別有兩名及三名民眾，救出時比較遺憾，都是呈現OHCA的情況。」

鄰居表示：「他自己開了門爬出來在門口。他有喊他們家裡的人，可是沒辦法下來了，應該很悶，那個煙太大了。」

這戶人家三代同堂，救出的5人分別是62歲屋主太太、38歲大女兒、32歲二兒子、12歲與6個月大的孫子，分送不同醫院搶救，最後都宣告不治。

亞大醫院急診醫學科主治醫師陳達民指出：「到院時已經無生命徵象，瞳孔放大，且全身以及口鼻都有大量的碳粒。經過急救之後，仍然宣告急救無效。」

火勢在5時25分撲滅，天亮後火調人員進入屋內了解起火原因。在外地送貨的大兒子接到通知趕回來，遭逢巨變強忍悲痛，他懷疑是父親使用將近10年的電暖器走火釀禍。

屋主兒子陳先生說，電暖器使用滿久了：「大概6、7年，將近10年有了。」

火警真正原因還有待調查。消防局表示，起火點疑似是1樓，加上深夜火警，人熟睡中恐遭濃煙嗆昏無法逃生，才會造成如此重大傷亡。市府後續將提供家屬慰問急用金，盼協助度過難關。