The Judiciary Police (PJ) have ruled out arson as the cause of a recent fire near a building in Beco da Ostra (蠔里) on October 28, confirming that the blaze was actually caused by a malfunction in the electronic control unit (ECU) of one of the burnt motorcycles, PJ spokesman Lei Chi Hou said during a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Lei, the fire broke out in a motorcycle parking area next to a residential building in Beco da Ostra, damaging six motorcycles and the exterior of a nearby renovation company.
Using CCTV footage from the scene, the police found no evidence of suspicious individuals entering or leaving the area before or after the fire, effectively ruling out intentional arson. Additionally, there was rainfall between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. prior to the incident so that environmental humidity and residual rainwater likely diminished the risk of ignition from a cigarette end, Lei said.
Lei noted that one of the severely burnt motorcycles had its ECU circuit board replaced between October 26 and 27. The owner did not fully turn off the ignition after parking on the evening of October 27, resulting in the continuous power supply to the ECU.
An on-site examination revealed that the ECU board showed signs of “whitening,” indicative of severe burning and marking it as the primary ignition point. The ECU may have spontaneously ignited due to electrical overload while remaining under continuous power, Lei said.
Lei concluded that evidence points to a mechanical fault as the cause of the fire, with no criminal elements involved.
This undated handout photo provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) shows the severely burnt motorbike with its ignition turned on.
