All that remains:  Residents clear the remains of a fire in the Simprug area, Grogol Selatan subdistrict, South Jakarta, on Sunday. The fire started at about 3 a.m. and destroyed at least 285 semipermanent houses in the area. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)

JAKARTA: A fire that blazed through Jl. Simprug Golf II, Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, on Sunday Morning has displaced at least 285 families.

Danang Susanto, head of the South Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency, said on Sunday the fire, which broke out at 12:30 a.m. began in a rented house, adding that most of the destroyed buildings were semi-permanent houses.

“The smoke was initially spotted inside the house, it got bigger and spread to other houses,” Danang said as quoted by kompas.com. No fatalities were reported in the incident.

Danang said 25 fire-fighting appliances were deployed to the scene to bring the fire under control. He went on to say that assistance in the form of staple foods and clothes had been distributed to the victims.

Wagio, whose house was destroyed by the incident, said none of the valuables in his house could be saved as the fire had spread so fast.

“I didn’t have the time to save anything, but the most important thing was that I could save myself,” he said.

The South Jakarta Social Agency has provided assistance, including two shelters, clothing and food for the families. As of Sunday afternoon, the assessed damage reportedly stood at Rp 1.7 billion (US$129,000). — JP

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