Fire engulfs C. Jakarta hotel, half-naked guests flee<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A low-cost, two-story hotel on Jl. Jatibaru, in
\nTanah Abang, Central Jakarta, was gutted by fire yesterday,
\nforcing dozens of scantily clad guests to flee in panic.<\/p>\n
Some of the women later took shelter at a nearby police
\nsubprecinct, where police lent them jackets to cover themselves.<\/p>\n
Maj. Sigit TH, chief of the Tanah Abang Police subprecinct,
\nsaid guests were held temporarily for questioning to help police
\ndetermine the cause of the fire.<\/p>\n
\"We just asked them for information because maybe they know
\nhow the fire started,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Freddy Aling, head of the Central Jakarta Fire Department,
\nsaid Tirza Hotel and eleven adjoining houses were destroyed in
\nthe blaze.<\/p>\n
No fatalities were reported and the damage bill was still
\nbeing calculated.<\/p>\n
Freddy said the fire was believed to have started in the hotel
\nbut an investigation would hopefully reveal the cause.<\/p>\n
Seventeen fire engines were dispatched after the blaze was
\nreported at 1:10 p.m., he said.<\/p>\n
But only six of the 17 fire engines were able to reach the
\nsite because of the narrow roads surrounding the hotel, which was
\nsituated in front of Tanah Abang Railway Station, he said. The
\nremaining fire engines remained on alert.<\/p>\n
\"This is a densely populated area and the houses are mostly
\nbuilt with flammable building materials, such as plywood,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The fire took almost two hours to extinguish, Freddy said,
\npraising the quick thinking of local residents who helped
\nfirefighters put out the blaze.<\/p>\n
Arfan, the owner of a boardinghouse next to the hotel, said
\nassisting the firefighters was the most sensible action he could
\ntake.<\/p>\n
But the fire spread so quickly that Arfan did not realize his
\nown house was being burned down and he was unable to help his
\nwife salvage their possessions, he said.<\/p>\n
Arfan estimated that his damage bill from the fire exceeded Rp
\n300 million, including his two-story house and all the household
\nappliances, TV sets and spring beds.<\/p>\n
\"I lost all my belongings,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Bensas Napitupulu, who lived behind the hotel, said that he
\nwas not concerned about the loss of property.<\/p>\n
\"I have no problem about the losses as long as my family
\nmembers are safe,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's fire caused traffic congestion on surrounding
\nroads. Some public buses and minivans, which usually pass through
\nthe area, were forced to make a U-turn under the Jatibaru
\nFlyover. (04)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fire-engulfs-c-jakarta-hotel-half-naked-guests-flee-1447893297",
"image": ""
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