Four family members die in blaze at Yilan building-materials shop

Late Saturday night, a fire broke out at a three-story building-materials store on Wenquan Road in Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, sending thick smoke over the area opposite Yuan Shan Junior High School. The Yilan County Fire Bureau received the alarm at 10:36 p.m. and dispatched crews who found flames on the second floor and heard explosions. The store’s owner, surnamed Yu, managed to get out on his own; firefighters rescued his mother, who remained conscious and was taken to a hospital for checks.

Inside the building, the bodies of Yu's wife, Shih, their two children and Yu's father were discovered. The fire was brought under control by 1:12 a.m. and fully extinguished at 3:14 a.m. The cause of the incident remains under investigation.