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Fireman blames faulty wiring for Senen market fire
A fireman from the Central Jakarta fire brigade says the recent blaze that gutted Senen market was likely the result of an electrical short circuit
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fireman from the Central Jakarta firebrigade says the recent blaze that gutted Senen market was likely the result ofan electrical short circuit.
'The short circuit was initially spotted on the market's second floor on Friday night,' Deki of the Central Jakarta fire brigade said on Friday, as quoted by Antara news agency.
He said as many as 58 fire trucks and 200 fire fighters were deployed to extinguish the fire at the market that was established in 1974.
However, Surya, one of the market's sellers, doubted that the short circuit could have been the cause of the fire. He said as quoted by Kompas.com that the market closed every night at 6 p.m. and that the electricity was shut off at that time.
'The fire could have been intentional,' he said.
No casualties have as yet been reported as a result of the incident.
According to the Indonesian Traditional Market Vendors Association, initial calculations put the cost of the damage at Rp 100 billion.
The Jakarta Police are investigating the incident. A number of witnesses have been questioned as part of the police's effort to gather information regarding the origin of the fire.
Jakarta Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has instructed market operator PD Pasar Jaya to build a makeshift market in the front of the old compound to enable sellers to continue trading while the city administration prepares to renovate the damaged site. (put/dic)
