Firemen standing at ladders to inspect the fire damaged area and rescue the injured on Thursday on Taiwan island. Photo: VCG

The State Council Taiwan Affairs Office and Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits on Thursday sent condolences to the victims in a fire accident in Taiwan's Kaohsiung, which has killed at least 46.

A massive fire broke out at around 3 am on Thursday in a 13-floor building of Kaohsiung on the island of Taiwan, resulting in at least 46 deaths and 41 injuries, local media reported.

The fire broke out in a second-hand furniture appliance store located in the first floor of the building, according to the reports. A video of the fire site showed that after only one minute, a mere spark in the building burst into a massive fire very quickly.

The local fire department sent over 140 firemen to the site and controlled the fire at around 5 am on Thursday, putting out the fire completely at around 7 am.

The building that set on fire has a history of 40 years, with over 130 residents living in the building. Firefighters are still unsure of the cause for the fire and related departments are completing an investigation into the incident.

Some suspected that the staircase was cluttered with odd items, blocking the escape route, with a fire department official later confirming that although the staircase in the building was indeed obstructed. Further investigation is underway.