TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Fire razes Goat Market in Tanah Abang, killing two

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sun, August 11, 2019

Share This Article

Change Size

Fire razes Goat Market in Tanah Abang, killing two Firefighters attempt to put out a fire that engulfed Goat Market in Tanah Abang on Saturday night. Two were people killed in the fire. (tribunjakarta.com/Muhammad Rizki Hidayat)

A

fire razed Goat Market in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Saturday evening, claiming two lives as the rest of the city celebrated the eve of Idul Adha. 

Central Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency operational head Syarifudin said two people were killed as they tried to put out the fire.

“They went to a bathroom to extinguish the fire, but they became trapped there,” Syarifudin said as quoted by tempo.co.

The bathroom was located in a narrow corner of the building, so when the fire began to spread, they could not get out, he explained.

The fire and rescue team retrieved the bodies of the two victims at 11:15 p.m. The agency has yet to identify the bodies.

The flame started to spread around Goat Market at 7 p.m. The fire and rescue agency dispatched 24 fire engines to the scene. The fire was extinguished at 10:30 p.m.

Tanah Abang Police chief Sr. Comr. Lukman Cahyono said the incident was caused by a coconut-shredding machine that exploded in the market. The machine blew up when coconut vendors were refueling it with gasoline.

“The gasoline perhaps came into contact with a fire spark when [the vendors] were refueling the machine,” Lukman said.

He said the fire caused by the explosion quickly spread to a wooden ceiling, and later to the surrounding buildings and homes. Four houses near the market were also razed by the fire, he added. (rfa)

{

Your Opinion Counts

Your thoughts matter - share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.