A fire destroyed much of a historic temple hall in Taipei's Wenshan District, a painful loss for worshippers, though nobody was hurt.

• The Lingxiao Hall at Zhinan Temple, built 60 years ago, burned for more than three hours on Monday night.
• Flames tore through the wooden building, gutting the ground floor and damaging part of the second, with about 1,500 square meters burned.
• More than 100 firefighters and dozens of trucks fought the blaze on a mountainside, where narrow roads and scarce water made the job much harder.
• The cause is still unknown; open flames, electrical equipment, and the building being left unwatched overnight are all being looked at.
• Fire safety voices are urging temples to keep incense and candle flames away from anything that burns, and to check wiring and night patrols.

Outlook: Investigators will take time to pin down the cause, and rebuilding the blackened hall will not happen quickly.