Fire hits houses in Karet Tengsin

A fire broke out in a densely populated neighborhood in Karet Tengsing, Central Jakarta on Monday evening after the breaking of the fast, but there was no immediate report on casualties or the number of houses affected.

“We received the call around three hours ago, and we immediately sent fire engines to the location,”  Jakarta Fire Agency head, Paimin Napitupulu, told The Jakarta Post Digital.

He said by the time the fire trucks arrived, residents had begun to try to put out the fire but to no avail, given that the area lacked water hydrants.

“We tried to get water from the Krukut and Mati rivers,” said Paimin.

As of 10 p.m., the fire had yet to be fully extinguished, but Paimin said they had successfully prevented the fire from spreading.

“We have put out around 80 percent of the fire,” he said, adding that the fire agency had deployed more than 30 fire engines. (iwa)