No one could say for sure how the fire started.

The police had set up a special investigation team, pouring two months into their efforts, yet they couldn’t provide a definitive answer.

Some speculated it was the winter season—a stray ember from the fireplace might have landed on the fabric sofa, which then ignited when no one noticed.

Others believed it was the charcoal brazier the ailing mistress of the house used to brew traditional medicine; a ...