Fire damages Pondok Cina train station

JAKARTA: A fire destroyed buildings, kiosks and motorcycles at the Pondok Cina train station in Depok on Saturday morning, but no one was injured in the blaze.

The fire, which is thought to have started in one of the station’s car parks, damaged the main station office, an Islamic prayer room, toilets, ticket booths, train platforms and dozen of kiosks.

The fire also damaged 36 motorcycles parked in the station’s north parking lot.

“The fire broke out at 1:45 a.m. More than 12 firefighters and five fire trucks eventually managed to extinguish the fire at about 3 a.m.,” First Insp. Adj. Mardimin of the Beji Police precinct said.

The police questioned two witnesses, Nurus and Setiawan, who said the fire had broken out in the station’s parking lot.

“We are still investigating the cause of the incident and calculating the casualties,” Depok Police chief Sr. Comr. Saidal Mursalin said.

He added that the National Police Forensics Laboratory had begun investigating the scene of the blaze.

Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi, who visited the station after the fire, said the incident would not affect the operation of trains in Greater Jakarta.

Train station chief Nasruddi confirmed the minister’s assurance.

He said several important documents had been lost in the inferno. — JP