The owner of an apartment building in downtown Taichung has been fined NT$1.44 million (US$51,000) in the wake of a fire that killed six tenants last Sunday, the city's Urban Development Bureau said Wednesday.
In its investigation, the bureau said, it had determined that the owner, a woman surnamed Chuang (?), had illegally converted eight units in the building into 41 studio apartments, which were rented to tenants.
Chuang will therefore be fined NT$180,000 for each of the eight building codes violations, which will amount to a total fine of NT$1.44 million, the bureau said.
According to Taichung police, the fire was started in the seven-story building last Sunday night, following an altercation between the landlady and a male tenant surnamed Cheng (?) over the issue of a pet in his apartment.
On Monday, Lin Ming-tso (???), commander of the Taichung City Police Department Criminal Investigation Corps, said Cheng was suspected of starting the fire after Chuang asked him to move out because he was keeping a pet goat in the apartment.
When Cheng was summoned Monday for questioning, he confessed to setting alight stacks of discarded items in the public spaces on the second floor of the building to get back at Chuang, according to police.
Cheng has since been handed over to prosecutors for investigation, and he could face charges of endangering public safety, Cho Chun-chung (???), deputy chief of the Taichung District Prosecutors Office, said Monday.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the National Fire Agency asked local governments to step up their regular safety inspections of old apartment buildings and pay particular attention to the escape routes such as fire doors and stairwells, which are often cluttered with trash.
Building owners who fail to comply with the relevant regulations may be subject to repeated fines of NT$60,000- NT$300,000, or ordered to vacate the buildings, the fire agency said, citing the Building Act.
According to the agency, other penalties for building code violations include termination of water and electricity supply, closure of the property, and demolition.
The Taichung fire was the second major blaze in Taiwan in the past six months, following the destruction of a mixed-use building in Kaohsiung on Oct. 14, 2021, which was determined to be a case of arson that resulted in the death of 46 people.
In the wake of the two deadly fires, legislators have been calling for a revision of the relevant laws to improve public safety.
On Wednesday, two lawmakers from Taiwan People's Party (TPP) urged the Legislature to swiftly review the Condominium Administration Act, the Building Act, and the Fire Services Act, among others.
At a news conference, TPP legislators, Lai Hsiang-ling (???) and Ann Kao (???), said priority should be given to reviewing those laws to prevent building fires, ensure public safety and safeguard lives.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel