Fire swept through an apartment block on the outskirts of Taipei early on Sunday killing 13 people and injuring 70, and investigators said they were checking a report it was caused by a woman who set herself on fire.

Desperate residents of the seven-story building jumped off balconies to escape the blaze, or climbed down ropes through thick black smoke as illegal building structures and narrow alleyways hampered fire trucks and rescue efforts.

Some fell several floors to the ground.

Residents of the building in Lu Chou in Taipei County said they heard two people quarreling just before shouts of "Fire! Help!" rang from the building in the early hours.

A spokeswoman for the Taipei County Government said a man told investigators his wife had set herself on fire and that had caused the blaze. Spokeswoman Hsieh Li-lan said the woman was in hospital and investigators were looking into the report.

Police said earlier the cause of the fire was not known but it had apparently started on the ground floor of the block, where motorcycles were parked.

The Taipei County government said 13 people were killed, including a three-year-old girl. Twenty-two were seriously injured, 48 had minor injuries and 112 were rescued.

The fire started just before 2 a.m. (18:00 GMT) and police said it was brought under control after about 50 minutes. All residents were evacuated and the fire was extinguished shortly after 4 a.m. (20:00 GMT).

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