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wo women have died in a fire that ravaged a clothing factory, PT Usi Apparel, at the Kawasan Berikat Nusantara (KBN) industrial bonded zone in Cakung in North Jakarta on Thursday.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto told reporters that the bodies of the two female factory workers, 21-year-old Lien Sururoh and 20-year-old Arni Susila, were burned beyond recognition. The police relied on witness testimonies to identify the bodies.

The two bodies were taken to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) in Central Jakarta to be autopsied.

'€œFour other victims, all women, have been taken to Islam Sukapura Hospital in North Jakarta to be treated for severe burns,'€ he said, adding that the victims had burns on their arms, faces and bodies.

Many of the remaining 400 factory workers sustained minor injuries in the fire, Rikwanto said.

The fire started at around 10:45 a.m. and was successfully extinguished by 11:30 a.m. by seven fire trucks deployed by the North Jakarta Fire and Natural Disaster Agency.

Rikwanto explained that the police believed that the fire was caused by an electrical short-circuit that occurred in the factory'€™s accessories storage and garment cleaning rooms.

'€œWe have questioned two witnesses so far. Both claimed that they saw a damaged electrical cable giving off sparks, which might have led to the fire,'€ he said.

According to a security guard and mechanic at the factory, Rikwanto continued, the fire started when an electrical cable broke. The witnesses claimed that they saw the damaged cable spark twice and produce electric sparks that then struck the accessories storage and garment cleaning rooms, starting the fire.

'€œWe have not yet calculated the financial damage the fire has caused,'€ Rikwanto said.

Meanwhile, leading agency officer on site David Zulkarnaen told reporters that the fire might have been caused by a broiler machine that overheated in the factory'€™s finishing room. The machine was located next to a drum filled with highly flammable paint thinner, he said.

Rikwanto said that the Jakarta Police would request the assistance of the National Police'€™s forensics team to inspect the scene of the incident to determine the cause of the fire.

'€œWe are also going to question witnesses to see if there were any legal violations that might have led to the fire,'€ he said.

In a separate incident, a fire gutted 22 houses on Jl. Kejayaan Dalam in the Taman Sari district of West Jakarta at 7:15 a.m. on Thursday. The fire was eventually extinguished by 10:15 a.m. with the help of 22 fire trucks.

Munif Ahmad, one of the residents, said that the fire traveled quickly because the houses were grouped closely together.

'€œI could only save the lives of my family. All my valuable goods have been burnt,'€ he said. (fss/alz)