TAIPEI: A blaze has gutted part of Chiang Kai-shek's former home, the second time in less than three years that a residence of the late Taiwan leader has been razed by fire, police said yesterday.

The fire broke out late Monday in the two-storey mansion, which is located in an upscale part of Taipei, a police officer told AFP.

Cultural experts were assessing the extent of the damage to the historic site, where Chiang lived for a quarter of a century until his death in 1975.

The home was undergoing renovations when the fire started.

"An initial probe showed the fire was caused by a short circuit," a government spokesman told reporters, adding the damage was concentrated in a corridor and a living room, with several pieces of furniture destroyed.

The building was partially open to the public, while an adjoining garden has been a popular tourist attraction for many years.

In 2007, a fire erupted in another Chiang villa on the outskirts of Taipei, destroying his first home on the island and one of the most important sites associated with his rule.

China Daily - AFP

(HK Edition 09/30/2009 page2)