Fire destroys Semarang City Hall<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono and Haryoso, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto, Semarang<\/p>\n
Fire gutted the eighth and ninth floors of the Semarang City
\nHall on Jl. Pemuda on Sunday, destroying everything on the
\nfloors, but no fatalities were reported.<\/p>\n
Semarang Mayoralty Police chief Sr. Comr. Halba Rubis Nugroho
\ntold The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview on Monday that the
\ncause of the fire had yet to be determined, although seven people
\nhave already been questioned in relation to the incident.<\/p>\n
\"The seven people, including two security guards, were all
\nquestioned as witnesses,\" Halba said, adding that none of them
\nwere arrested.<\/p>\n
Halba estimated that the fire had caused losses totaling
\nbillions of rupiah.<\/p>\n
The eighth floor had a well furnished meeting hall with an
\naudio-visual system, and a fitness center. The ninth floor was
\nused for storage.<\/p>\n
All documents kept on the two floors were totally destroyed by
\nthe fire, which was extinguished at about 4 a.m on Sunday or more
\nthan three hours after the fire started raging.<\/p>\n
Semarang Mayor Sukawi Sutarip said on Monday that his office
\nwould like the two floors repaired soon.<\/p>\n
\"We will have a meeting with the mayoralty legislative council
\nregarding the building's repair,\" Sukawi said, adding that the
\nmoney would be taken from the mayoralty budget and insurance
\ncompensation.<\/p>\n
\"We also expect aid from the provincial administration,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Officer Halba said he could not speculate as to whether arson
\nwas behind the fire.<\/p>\n
\"The police forensic laboratory is still conducting
\nexaminations,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, Halba confirmed that two of the seven people
\nquestioned by the police were air-conditioning servicemen, who
\nrepaired the air-conditioners on both floors on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a cleaning serviceman, Anwar said that he was in
\nthe nine-story building on the night the fire occurred.<\/p>\n
\"At about 11 p.m. a meeting between religious leaders and
\nofficials on the first floor of the building finished. After
\ncleaning the room I fell asleep on the first floor, before I was
\nawakened by a commotion. Seconds later, I was aware of the fire
\non the two floors. I ran out of the building and screamed for
\nhelp.\"<\/p>\n
About 30 minutes later the fire engines arrived, he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fire-destroys-semarang-city-hall-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }