Fire engulfs 300 Manggarai houses, victims vent anger at fire trucks<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
An ongoing fire on Jl. Manggarai Utara II, South Jakarta, has
\nrazed some 300 homes since Thursday afternoon, leaving
\nthousands homeless, but no fatalities as yet.<\/p>\n
The fire started at around 4 p.m., when a stove belonging to a
\nresident at neighborhood unit (RT) 11 exploded, and the ensuing
\nfire soon spread to 15 neighborhood units nearby. A bakery was
\nalso gutted by the blaze.<\/p>\n
The area is located on the Ciliwung riverbank near the
\nrailroad tracks and the Manggarai bus terminal.<\/p>\n
Twenty-four fire trucks were seen at the location, but as of
\nlate in the evening, had not yet managed to put the fire out.<\/p>\n
The residents assaulted the driver and crew of the first fire
\ntruck that arrived on the location almost two hours after the
\nfire started, as they complained that the firefighters were too
\nslow in their response.<\/p>\n
The angry victims even commandeered a fire truck, but alas,
\nthey only managed to drive it into one of the burning houses,
\nwhich resulted in a violent melee with local police who tried to
\nrestore order.<\/p>\n
Some of them even said the water used to extinguish the fire
\nsmelled of gasoline, which is flammable. \"We suspect arson,
\nbecause the plan to widen the Ciliwung river had been started
\nearlier this year,\" Budi, a resident of RT 11, told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
Fireman Sunaryo said not all of the fire trucks could reach
\nthe location because the road was too narrow and already crowded
\nwith the residents.<\/p>\n
\"Moreover, although we have an abundant source of water from
\nthe river, it is too polluted, so it takes long to filter it,\" he
\ntold the Post.<\/p>",
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