Four maids perish in house fire<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The gently falling rain could do nothing to ease
\nthe pain of Jonathan Chan and his family, who lost their four
\nhousemaids to a raging fire on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
Heavy rain and 13 fire engines were no match for the fire,
\nwhich engulfed both the Chan house and E. Simanjuntak's, his
\nneighbor, on Jl. Simprug Golf III in Kebayoran Baru, South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
\"It was so unexpected ... I wanted to go back to save the four
\nmaids who were sleeping in the back room by our kitchen, but the
\nfire was so big,\" Jonathan told reporters at the scene, while
\nholding his wife.<\/p>\n
The victims were identified as Pinten, 17, Juminten, 20, Sri,
\n29 and Rini, 23.<\/p>\n
Like the Chan family, the children's babysitters, Pini, Nani
\nand Ani, who were sleeping in a front room, were able to climb
\nover the fence that surrounds the home.<\/p>\n
\"I'm just grateful to God that I could save my wife and my
\nchildren (Yosephine, 10, Rusmanti, 9, Nathan, 4, and Alexis, 1)
\nin time. I'm not sorry about the loss of my goods and home.
\nThey're insured. Lives are most important.\"<\/p>\n
Kebayoran Lama Police chief of intelligence and detectives
\nFirst. Lt. Ayep said the fire, which raged till the early hours
\nof Thursday morning, started after a short circuit in the kitchen
\nat about 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"It spread rapidly, taking the lives of the four maids, the
\nentire Chan residence and the family's four cars. It then went on
\nto burn the first and second floors of the Simanjuntak
\nresidence,\" Ayep told reporters.<\/p>\n
\"The fire engines arrived at about 1 a.m. on Thursday. It was
\nE. Simanjuntak's good luck that all eight people in his family
\nwere saved, including his wife, child, grandchild and four maids.
\nThey have now moved to another house they own on the same road.\"<\/p>\n
Jonathan said that at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday the family
\nwere gathered in the living room discussing family matters.<\/p>\n
At about 10:30 p.m., he left the house to attend to a business
\nmatter and returned at about 11 p.m., after which the family and
\nhousemaids went to bed.<\/p>\n
\"Suddenly, my wife woke up coughing ... she said she sensed a
\nstrong smell of smoke. When we saw what it was, we got our kids
\nup and ran towards the front door, and jumped over the fence. The
\nthree babysitters followed us,\" Jonathan said.<\/p>\n
\"Suddenly I remembered the four others sleeping in the back
\nroom, but I ... I just could not go back. The fire was already so
\nhuge.\"<\/p>\n
The gutted cars in the garage included a Kijang van, a blue
\nVolvo and a Cherokee jeep.<\/p>\n
Mahmuri, a security guard at the Simanjuntak home, said the
\nOpel Blazer and Kijang van in the garage were untouched by the
\nfire.<\/p>\n
\"Even the rain could not put out the fire ... it was terrible.
\nI'm glad the fire did not touch the Simanjuntak family. All eight
\nwere saved,\" Mahmuri said.<\/p>\n
The remains of the victims were sent to the Cipto Mangunkusumo
\nGeneral Hospital's morgue, where Pini identified Rini's corpse
\nfrom her clothing. She also identified Pinten and Pinten's
\nsister, Juminten, from their petite bodies and teeth. (ylt\/06)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/four-maids-perish-in-house-fire-1447893297",
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