Pelni building catches fire

At least 24 fire engines were deployed to extinguish a fire that gutted the state-owned shipping company (PT Pelni) office building on Jl. Angkasa in Kemayoran area, Central Jakarta on Friday.

Black smoke billowed from the top of the building as the flame restarted at noon, giving firefighters no time to break after they had put out the fire earlier in the day, kompas.com reported.

The firefighters also combed the building to find people who might be trapped inside the structure.

One of the firemen, Sarwono, said a man was rushed to the hospital after being rescued from the building. He had called for a help from a window at the fourth floor.  

The fire is believed to start from a short circuit at the seventh floor of the building at about 10:30 a.m. The police closed the road connecting Kemayoran and Gunung Sahari area to facilitate the rescue efforts.