Taichung prosecutors on Friday indicted a landlord and tenant who are believed to be responsible for the March 6 apartment complex fire that resulted in six deaths and six injured.
Prosecutors charged the tenant, surnamed Cheng (?), with homicide and offenses against public safety for deliberately setting the building ablaze.
Prosecutors also charged the landlord, surnamed Chuang (?), with offenses against public safety and causing death by obstructing fire escape routes in the building with flammable items.
In previous statements when interviewed by police, Cheng admitted to setting a pile of recycled items on fire in the building's communal area close to the elevator.
Cheng said he started the fire because his landlady was attempting to evict him for keeping a pet goat and late payment of his NT$6,000 (US$202.17) monthly rent, according to police.
The prosecution's indictment indicated that since moving into his rental unit, which was a rooftop add-on to the original building, Cheng had upset Chuang by vandalizing door locks and leaving the hot water running.
Cheng's pet goat also caused hygiene issues for other tenants.
Meanwhile, Chuang's indictment for offenses against public safety leading to the death of tenants is based on her history of hoarding and building management negligence.
According to the prosecution, Chuang's nine-floor apartment, including Cheng's add-on floor, consisted of 41 segregated units which she rents out at between NT$6,000 and NT$8,000 per month.
Although Chuang had kept the first two floors to herself, the prosecution said she also stacked flammable materials in the stairwell between the first and ninth floor, the hallways of the building, and the balconies of different floors.
Chuang previously claimed that the items stored throughout the building were for her recycling business.
The prosecution said Chuang received 35 public safety-related fines over the past two years due to the condition of the building, and was charged with endangering public safety late last year with fines totaling NT$201,600.
According to surviving tenants, the hallways in the building were so full of items it was only possible to pass through one at a time.
Taichung Fire Bureau said that during the March 6 fire, the piles of flammable debris hindered rescue efforts and contributed to residents' being unable to escape the building.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel