A late-night fire tore through the main hall of Taipei's historic Zhinan Temple, but early inspection suggests the building's frame largely survived — bad news for the temple's interior, better news than feared for the structure.

• The blaze broke out late Monday in the ground-floor hall of the temple complex in Taipei's Wenshan District and was put out early the next morning.
• The worst damage is on the first floor, where decorations and large wooden sections burned away.
• Structural engineers who inspected the site found damage limited to the first floor, with only cracked plaster and some stairway damage above it.
• The second and third floors came through with their structure intact.
• The building dates to 1966, so its age — not just the fire — will decide whether it can be repaired or has to come down.

Outlook: A fuller structural assessment will determine whether the hall is restored or rebuilt.