Fire damages roadside temple

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 09/05/2007 2:18 PM | National

DENPASAR: A fire Tuesday afternoon damaged a roadside temple in Tonja, a densely populated area on the northern outskirts of Denpasar.

""It started at around 3:30 p.m. and the fire quickly destroyed the roof of the temple's two main shrines,"" an eyewitness, Ngurah, said.

The fire also caused a major traffic backup because the temple lies just meters from the Nangka-Gatot Subroto intersection, one of the busiest traffic corridors on the island.

Four fire engines arrived on the scene shortly after the blaze began and extinguished the fire in about 30 minutes.

The temple was at one time a place of worship for members of a local traditional farming and irrigation organization.

When the area was transformed into a residential area, it became a public temple.

""We have been told that prior to the fire, somebody was burning a pile of garbage next to the temple. We suspect that somehow the wind blew some cinders from the burning garbage onto the roof of the temple, causing the fire. But we still need to investigate,"" a fireman said.--JP

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