Sawah Besar fire victims ask for help<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Residents of Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta, who
\nlost more than 100 houses in a fire Wednesday, asked the
\ngovernment to let them rebuild their homes.<\/p>\n
A plywood sign installed in front of a house yesterday said:
\n\"We ask to be permitted to rebuild our houses. Residents of
\nKarang Anyar subdistrict.\"<\/p>\n
According to the subdistrict office at least 330 families, or
\n2,000 people, lost their homes on the 1.5 hectare site.<\/p>\n
A resident, Jajang, said that residents hoped the city would
\nquickly decide on the matter.<\/p>\n
\"We don't have any other place to stay except our gutted
\nhomes,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Most residents lost all belongings because they were at their
\nworkplaces when the fire started at about 9 a.m, Jajang said.<\/p>\n
He called on fellow Jakartans to donate food, clothes and
\nmoney to the fire victims.<\/p>\n
Central Jakarta Mayor Abdul Kahfi told residents not to
\nrebuild houses since the mayoralty was still collecting data
\nabout land ownership in the area.<\/p>\n
Kahfi said most of land on the site belonged to the state.<\/p>\n
He said preliminary findings revealed there were ownership
\ncertificates for only 15 percent of the land.<\/p>\n
But Kahfi acknowledged the area was a residential zone
\naccording to city planning.<\/p>\n
Dozens of residents stayed at the subdistrict office yesterday
\nwhile other residents slept in their gutted houses.<\/p>\n
The roofs were covered with plastic while windows were covered
\nwith sarongs or curtains.<\/p>\n
Residents were sitting and sleeping on mats in their houses,
\nwhich they tried to clean up.<\/p>\n
A communal kitchen, which was installed in a garage of a
\nhouse, prepared rice and instant noodles for fire victims.<\/p>\n
Some scavengers were seen collecting steel items from the
\nburned houses.<\/p>\n
Residents said a man who was believed to have caused the fire,
\nidentified as Asep, was drunk the night before the fire occurred.<\/p>\n
Asep accidentally threw a lit cigarette into his kerosene
\nstove, neighbors said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a police source said Asep, a public order officer
\nat nearby Kartini subdistrict, accidentally dropped his lit
\ncigarette when he was asleep, which then burned his mattress.<\/p>\n
The officer said Asep, who admitted drinking a little liquor
\nthe night before the fire, was still being interrogated. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sawah-besar-fire-victims-ask-for-help-1447893297",
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