Jakartans warned about fire dangers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Fire Department urged residents,
\nespecially those celebrating Idul Fitri outside the city, to
\nsafeguard their houses before leaving.<\/p>\n
Suharso, head of the department, told The Jakarta Post many
\nhouses were left empty over the holiday and he did not want
\nholidaymakers returning to a fire-gutted home.<\/p>\n
\"I urge all Jakartans to carefully check all electricity goods
\nand equipment to help prevent the possibility of fire-related
\nincidents.\"<\/p>\n
Last year, 1,215 fires were recorded, substantially more than
\nthe previous high of 1,082 fires in 1982, he said. Fires killed
\n38 people last year.<\/p>\n
He issued the warning yesterday because many holidaymakers
\ntended to leave their houses in a hurry.<\/p>\n
This month there have been 56 fires in the city, he said,
\nadding that many of the incidents were due to people's
\nrecklessness.<\/p>\n
During the Idul Fitri celebration, the department will have
\n2,553 personnel stationed at 80 fire posts throughout the city.<\/p>\n
\"I really hope all residents can stay safe and celebrate Idul
\nFitri happily.<\/p>\n
\"Fire is one of the worst things that can happen. It will
\ndestroy almost everything.\"<\/p>\n
Suharso said the department has opened a fire hotline: (021)
\n113 and each mayoralty has a home base: Central Jakarta (021)
\n3841216, West Jakarta (021) 5682284, South Jakarta (021) 7694519,
\nEast Jakarta (021) 8582150 and North Jakarta (021) 493045.<\/p>\n
\"If people report fires quickly, hopefully we can put it out
\nbefore it's too late.\"<\/p>\n
When asked whether arsonists were behind the burning of slum
\nareas, as suspected by some locals, Suharso said the accusations
\nwere completely wrong and unfair.<\/p>\n
\"I admit that we have frequently faced such problems.<\/p>\n
\"People usually get angry, especially when there's a rumor
\nthat the fire was an act of sabotage in order to evict residents
\nfrom their land.<\/p>\n
\"Many times firemen, who were trying to put out the blaze,
\nwere beaten or had their fire engines vandalized because of these
\nmisunderstandings. This is outrageous! We've been working like
\ndogs (to extinguish the fire).<\/p>\n
He said firefighters had no time to publicly defend themselves
\nas they were already swamped with round-the-clock working hours
\nand limited personnel who were expected to handle all the fires
\nin the city.\"<\/p>\n
On Monday there were three fires in Central Jakarta but no
\nfatalities were reported.<\/p>\n
First fire<\/p>\n
The first fire gutted three kiosks on Jl. Garuda in Kemayoran.<\/p>\n
The blaze, which started at 7 a.m., was extinguished at 7.40
\na.m. by firefighters. Six fire engines were dispatched to fight
\nthe blaze.<\/p>\n
The source of the fire was believed to be a liquid gas tank
\nwhich exploded in one of the nearby food kiosks.<\/p>\n
As rain drenched the city Monday night, a fire razed 60 houses
\non Jl Pualam Raya in the densely populated area of Sumur Batu in
\nKemayoran, Central Jakarta, leaving at least 350 people homeless.<\/p>\n
There were no reported fatalities but police are investigating
\nthe cause of the fire, which caused hundreds of millions of
\nrupiah in damage.<\/p>\n
According to the head of the local fire department, Freddy
\nAling, the fire was believed to have started about 11 p.m. when
\nmost residents were going to sleep.<\/p>\n
\"Some residents said the fire was most likely caused by a
\nshort circuit after lightning struck one of the houses.\"<\/p>\n
Freddy said the fire spread quickly as most of the homes were
\nmade of flammable materials such as wood and built close
\ntogether.<\/p>\n
\"As far as I can remember, none of the residents had a chance
\nto save their belongings due to the enormous size of the blaze
\nand its rapid escalation.\"<\/p>\n
Twenty fire engines, including four from North Jakarta Fire
\nDepartment, were dispatched to the scene along with 100
\nfirefighters, he said. It took two and a half hours to extinguish
\nthe inferno.<\/p>\n
Freddy said local people assisted the firefighters and there
\nwas a good supply of water.<\/p>\n
Those left homeless are being housed temporarily in makeshift
\ntents, provided by the municipality and local district military
\ncommand and erected in a vacant lot on Jl. Pualam II.<\/p>\n
A smaller blaze that night gutted a cellular phone shop on Jl.
\nSamanhudi in the busy shopping district of Pasar Baru.<\/p>\n
Freddy said an electrical short circuit was believed to be the
\ncause of the fire, which started about 9:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
\"The fire, however, was isolated to the building and we were
\nable to extinguish it in about one hour,\" he said. (edt\/04)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jakartans-warned-about-fire-dangers-1447893297",
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