Fire razes textile shops at Pasar Baru

JAKARTA: Fire believed to be ignited by a short circuit razed textile shops at Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, on Friday.

The Tekstil Mode Indonesia shop caught fire at around 5 p.m. According to eyewitness Suradi, flames emerged from the back of the rooftop of the shop before it spread.

"First there was a spark, and then it became bigger and spread around," he said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

"A short circuit is suspected to have started the fire," Sawah Besar Police chief Comr. Iskandar said as quoted by vivanews.com.

The fire spread to several nearby shops. Nineteen fire trucks were deployed to extinguish the blaze.

"We're trying to control the fire," said an official from the Central Jakarta Fire Department.

Pasar Baru, also known as Passer Baroe, has long been a center for shoes and textiles.

In recent years, the area hosted the annual Passer Baroe Festival, where visitors can enjoy attractions as well as discounts. -JP