Fire rages through 150 buildings in East Jakarta
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Jakarta | Tue, August 21 2012, 6:53 PM
Taming the flames: Firefighters try to extinguish the fire that burned down a furniture production area in Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta on Tuesday. Dozens of warehouses and workshops were destroyed, causing financial losses estimated in the billions of rupiah. (JP/ Jerry Adiguna)
Fire gutted 150 buildings on Jl. Gotong Royong in Pondok Bambu, Duren Sawit in East Jakarta on Tuesday. No casualties were reported as a result of the incident.
Fire not only devastated houses but also furniture workshops and a small textile factory that were situated there.
“We calculate that the loss may reach billions of rupiah because some of the furniture workshops stored teak, which is a very expensive wood,” said City Fire Agency chief, Paimin Napitupulu, on Tuesday at the fire site.
According to Paimin, most of the residents were still out of Jakarta, having left to spend Idul Fitri in their hometowns.
“Some street vendors selling meat balls and scavengers also live there,” said Amah, one of residents who lives only 10 meters from the fire scene.
The fire, according to Paimin, was triggered by a short circuit in a house, whose owners are away in their hometown. Electrical sparks, caused by the short circuit, fell onto a chemical substance and a pile of sawdust. The resulting fire quickly burned through house and surrounding buildings.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames at 4 p.m. on Tuesday after 35 fire trucks from all Jakarta's municipalities had responded to the emergency, kompas.com reported.(riz/iwa)
