Traders angered at firefighters' slow response<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Traders at the fire-ravaged Pasar Baru shopping
\ncenter aired their grievances yesterday over the slowness of
\nfirefighters putting out Monday's fire, saying it allowed the
\nfire to get even bigger.<\/p>\n
The firefighters did not direct the water hose towards the
\nfire, when it was still small," said Dedy Budiman, a spokesman
\nfor more than 30 traders.<\/p>\n
Dedy is the owner of the drug store Ian Farma which was in the
\nHarco Plaza which was burned down. He said the fire cost him
\nabout Rp 600 million (US$248,241).<\/p>\n
He said firefighters took action only after he offered them Rp
\n30 million, adding that he and 30 other shop owners agreed to
\npay. The 30 traders joined Dedy when he made the statements to
\nthe press at the fire site.<\/p>\n
Dedy said he had given Rp 3 million in advance to a
\nfirefighter, identified as Irsan, on Monday morning, about two
\nhours after the fire began.<\/p>\n
He also blamed Harco's security officers, who he said were too
\nslow responding to the fire. "They did not take the initiative to
\nput out the fire as soon as it broke out."<\/p>\n
The chief of the city fire department, Soeharso, did not deny
\nDedy's claim. "Those who gave money to my subordinates have
\nplayed a role in damaging my corps reputation," he said.<\/p>\n
He did not say if his subordinates should be punished for
\naccepting money from fire victims.<\/p>\n
Soeharso had said firefighters found it difficult to reach the
\nfire because it was in the center of Harco Plaza.<\/p>\n
The fire started to gut the Harco Plaza at 5:30 Monday. Police
\nassumed the fire originated from an electrical short circuit at
\nthe Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on the plaza's second
\nfloor.<\/p>\n
The fire, which destroyed 300 shops at Harco and King Plaza,
\ncaused 2 billion (US$851,063) damage.<\/p>\n
The head of Harco security guards, Yohanes Ataupah, said the
\nguards did their best to fight the fire.<\/p>\n
Five of his men who police questioned soon after the fire were
\non duty again yesterday.<\/p>\n
Closed area<\/p>\n
The fire scene was still sealed off yesterday. Traders who
\nwanted to see the remains of their shops had to wait in front of
\nplaza. They sat there with gloomy faces.<\/p>\n
Most of the traders said they had not ensured their shops.<\/p>\n
A drug store owner at Harco, A Sen, said he insured only a
\nquarter of his merchandise. "I regret it," he said.<\/p>\n
An owner of two watch shops at Harco Plaza said her request to
\ninsure her shops and her merchandise had been refused because her
\nlease on the shops was going to expire.<\/p>\n
A team from Jakarta Police Forensics Laboratory which came to
\nthe scene about 9 a:m yesterday left the site about 1 p:m with no
\nresults. "The thick smoke inside the building apparently stopped
\nthe officers from working inside," said Yohanes, head of the
\nsecurity guards at Harco Plaza.<\/p>\n
Bambang S., who headed the team said the cause of the fire was
\nstill unknown because his team could not start its investigation.<\/p>\n
The investigation will continue today.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Deputy Governor for Administration Affairs Idroes
\nand Central Jakarta Mayor Abdul Kahfi visited the riot-hit Tanah
\nAbang and fire-ravaged Pasar Baru yesterday.<\/p>\n
Kahfi said 50 traders, who rented spaces from city market firm
\nPD Pasar Jaya at the King Plaza, would be moved to the nearby
\nPasar Atom market.<\/p>\n
He said employees of the Matahari department stores would be
\ntemporarily posted at all the store's city outlets.<\/p>\n
The fire, which began about 5:30 a.m. Monday and subsided at
\n11 a.m. yesterday, gutted about 230 shops on the second, third
\nand fourth floors of the Harco Plaza on Jl. Samanhudi, Central
\nJakarta and 99 shops in the neighboring King Plaza.<\/p>\n
At 7:45 p.m. Monday, fire spread to neighboring stores, Grand
\nOptic and Bazaar 123.<\/p>\n
Among the largest stores destroyed were the Matahari
\nDepartment Store outlets in Harco and King Plaza. No fatalities
\nwere reported.<\/p>\n
The fire was under control at 11 a.m. yesterday after 35 fire
\nengines from all mayoralties were deployed.<\/p>\n
Governor Surjadi Soedirja said the administration had warned
\npeople of the danger of fire over and over again and called on
\nthem to give more attention to safety issues.<\/p>\n
"Unfortunately, the people, including shop owners, are not
\nresponsive to our appeals," Surjadi said after a plenary meeting
\nof the City Council yesterday. (ste\/11\/07)<\/p>",
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