Fire ravages neighborhood, 700 poor left homeless<\/p>\n
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Good news: No casualties. Bad news: It is estimated that more
\nthan 700 people lost their homes after a fire ravaged a neighborhood
\nin Taman Sari, West Jakarta, on Tuesday morning, leaving residents
\nwith little more than ashes.<\/p>\n
More than 200 people are currently taking shelter at St.
\nJoseph High School near the area, and receiving meals from the
\nWest Jakarta municipal government. About 200 more are expected to
\ngather by nightfall.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ibu Dede, 61, is only left with what she is
\nwearing, after the blaze that was estimated to have started at 2
\na.m. razed her entire house and about 60 others in the densely
\npopulated Jl. Kebun Jeruk neighborhood 05\/08 and 06\/08, before
\nbeing extinguished at around 5 a.m. by residents, neighbors and
\nfirefighters.<\/p>\n
\"I am waiting for my daughter to pick me up. She will take me
\nto her home in Karawaci, Tangerang, Banten province, where I will
\nbe staying for a while,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She was not sure of what she would do, whether to rebuild her
\nhouse or move elsewhere. \"I just need to get away from here at
\nthe moment.\"<\/p>\n
Residents said the police and the fire department were to
\nconduct an investigation into the cause of the blaze.<\/p>\n
Some residents accused a neighbor of having caused the fire
\nfrom a gas stove.<\/p>\n
However, unlike in some reported cases, where a mob would
\nattack someone they suspected caused a fire, the residents of
\nKebun Jeruk neighborhood remained calm.<\/p>\n
Ibu Dede said that she lived in a small house with five other
\nfamilies, comprising 15 people. More than 200 families lived in
\nthe relatively small area.<\/p>\n
Jakarta has a high incidence of fires with about 700 cases per
\nyear. Most fires happen in densely populated areas, where
\nelectricity is often illegally obtained.<\/p>\n
Plywood, which is widely used to construct houses in slums, is
\nalso easily inflammable.<\/p>\n
Amri, another resident, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that
\nat around 2:15 a.m., he heard a rowdy mob outside his bedroom
\nwindow.<\/p>\n
He woke up to see a plywood-made house engulfed in a huge
\nblaze only two houses from his. The blaze quickly created
\nhysteria and chaos among residents as some attempted to save
\ntheir belongings.<\/p>\n
Amri and several other men attempted to extinguish the fire by
\nusing buckets to scoop water from a nearby river.<\/p>\n
At around 3:30 a.m., he said, fire trucks arrived and doused
\nthe flames.<\/p>\n
\"The fire trucks quickly ran out of water and had to get water
\nfrom the Ciliwung River on Jl. Hayam Wuruk, West Jakarta,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Amri explained that the fire was finally put out at dawn,
\nleaving nothing much for the residents to salvage.<\/p>\n
Only a few belongings were seen at a nearby badminton court,
\nwhich is being used as an additional shelter.<\/p>\n
Most of the residents took shelter at St. Joseph High School,
\nwhere final exams were being held.<\/p>\n
\"The exams will not be affected by the residents' presence, as
\nthey will only run until noon for the next few days,\" said
\nFransisca Rusmiati, one of the teachers.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fire-ravages-neighborhood-700-poor-left-homeless-1447893297",
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