Up to nine houses on Jl. Perumpung Tengah in North Cipinang Besar, Jatinegara, East Jakarta, were burned down in a fire on Monday, East Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency has said.

The fire started at about 9:40 a.m., after which at least 15 pumper trucks and 48 firefighters were rushed to the scene to extinguish the flames, said Gatot Sulaeman, the agency’s operational division head.

“Thank God, by 11:15 a.m. the fire had been put out. Nine houses were burned,” Gatot said as quoted by kompas.com.

Gatot said that fire started in a house that had been left empty as its owner had gone to Kalimantan. However, what started the blaze was still unknown.

“The fire initially got bigger and spread to other houses around it. We are still investigating the cause of the fire,” Gatot said.

At least 42 residents lost their homes during the fire, resulting in an estimated Rp 720 million (US$50,692) in losses. (ami)