In Kaohsiung, Taiwan, two women who co-own four cats found themselves in trouble after one of their cats accidentally triggered a fire. The cats were playing in the kitchen and unintentionally switched on the induction cooker, causing it to heat up and start a fire. This, in turn, activated the building’s sprinkler system, dumping large amounts of water and damaging four elevators. The two women were ordered by a judge to pay over 1.09 million NTD (about 140,000 RMB) for the repairs.
According to the Liberty Times on the 3rd, the ruling stated that Ms. Hung (27), who lives in the Sanmin District of Kaohsiung, shared her apartment with her close friend Ms. Chen (24), and together they had four cats. On January 6, 2023, the two women went north to Yilan for a trip. Before leaving, they did not confine their cats but allowed them to roam freely in the house. On the third day after their departure, news of the fire broke out. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished by the automatic sprinkler system before it spread or caused major disasters.
The two women rushed home after being notified. With the police and fire department investigating, they found that the source of the fire was the kitchen stove. After ruling out mechanical failure, they concluded that the cats had gone into the kitchen while playing and accidentally turned on the induction cooker. Ms. Hung had not cleared the stove surface, which meant that an unidentified metal mesh object on top of the stove was continuously heated and then ignited items nearby, causing the fire.
The women were shocked by the accident, claiming that the cats rarely played in the kitchen and probably couldn’t have turned on the switch by accident. However, based on the fire department’s expert report and evidence, the Kaohsiung District Court convicted the women of causing a fire and damaging property, sentencing them to 15 and 30 days of detention, respectively; Ms. Hung’s sentence was additionally suspended for three years.
When the fire broke out in Ms. Hung’s home, thick smoke triggered the building’s fire suppression system, and water overflowed from the apartment into the elevator area, causing four building elevators to be flooded. The control boards and surveillance systems were damaged. The community management committee sued for damages of over 1.09 million NTD. The women denied responsibility, but the judge ruled that both should bear the maintenance costs. The decision is subject to appeal.