A fire broke out at a joss paper shop in Taichung's Dali District and spread to neighboring buildings, though nobody was hurt.

• The blaze started on the third floor of the shop, used as a shrine room and storage for stacks of joss paper.
• Thick smoke poured out and flames spread sideways, damaging the third floors of three units.
• The shop was holding extra stock because Ghost Festival is days away and demand for paper offerings spikes.
• Six fire units with eight trucks and 19 firefighters put the fire out within half an hour.
• The shops were not yet open for business, so there were no injuries.

Outlook: Investigators will examine the site to pin down the cause, and the stockpiles of flammable offerings ahead of the festival make similar fires a real risk in the coming days.