5,000 homeless after fire sweeps crowded slum<\/p>\n
By Wahyudi M. Pratopo<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The fire that razed 2,000 houses in Muara Baru,
\nPenjaringan, North Jakarta, has been extinguished, but the
\nanguish remains.<\/p>\n
Not only has the fire destroy the homes and possessions of
\nabout 5,000 people, it has also separated loved ones.<\/p>\n
\"I am looking for my son, have you seen him?\" Yati, 33, asked
\nthe people milling about at the fire site yesterday.<\/p>\n
Yati had to leave her three-year-old son behind in her house,
\nwhen the fire forced her to run in panic to save the 10-month-old
\nbaby in her arms.<\/p>\n
She did not become calm until she found her son sitting along
\nthe roadside one kilometer away from the fire site. She hugged
\nand kissed him many times to express her happiness.<\/p>\n
Though her son was found, Yati's distress continued due to the
\nloss of all her earthly possessions in the fire. \"Only these
\nclothes, we have worn for two days, are left to us.\"<\/p>\n
The fire, caused by a kerosene stove explosion, has left 5,000
\npeople homeless and inflicted Rp 100 million in material losses.<\/p>\n
\"This area was inundated by floods last week and now a fire
\nhas destroyed our homes,\" a resident told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The fire was extinguished in six hours after the city fire
\nbrigade mobilized 120 personnel with 17 fire engines, a fireman
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Strong wind and the narrow streets in the area made it
\ndifficult for the firemen to contain the fire, he said.<\/p>\n
Most residents were busy erecting tents and makeshift shelters
\nat the site yesterday, while some began rebuilding their houses.<\/p>\n
The city administration, as well as the public, have donated
\ncash, food and other materials to relieve the distress of the
\nfire victims. Governor Surjadi Soedirdja gave Rp 24 million in
\ncash for the residents. The North Jakarta Social Services Agency,
\nthe Indonesian Red Cross and individuals sent more than 2,000 kg
\nof rice, 140 boxes of noodles, eggs and cooking oil. Most of the
\ndonations have yet to be distributed to the victims.<\/p>\n
\"We don't know if the donations will be distributed to us,\"
\nBandi, a resident said.<\/p>\n
He said yesterday that the fire victims had received only
\npackages of food from the communal kitchen of the North Jakarta
\nbranch of the Indonesian Red Cross.<\/p>\n
City officials said that all of the houses destroyed by the
\nfire, some of which were built 15 years ago, were \"illegal\"
\nbecause they were located in an area designated as a \"green
\nbelt\". No information was available as to why the authorities
\nhave allowed the squatters to remain there for so many years.<\/p>\n
The North Jakarta Mayor has forbidden the reconstruction of
\nthe houses razed by the fire.<\/p>\n
But the residents insist that they will reconstruct their
\nhomes. \"We have no other place to live,\" Sudarto told the Post.<\/p>\n
A source at the Penjaringan police subprecinct said that four
\nresidents were questioned yesterday in connection with the fire.
\nThe police let them go because there was no evidence of arson.<\/p>\n
\"We did not find any criminal element relating to the fire,\"
\nthe policeman said.<\/p>\n
Police investigators have concluded that the fire started when
\na kerosene stove exploded.<\/p>",
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