1,000 people left homeless after fire

JAKARTA (JP): About 1,000 people are now homeless after a huge fire gutted houses in the densely populated residential area in Kartini subdistrict in Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta, yesterday afternoon.

No fatalities were reported but the fire caused a tall, black plume of smoke to rise into the capital's sky.

According to resident Hafidhin, 54, the fire started at about 3:30 p.m. in one of the houses in the neighborhood.

"I was just finishing my Azhar (afternoon) prayer when I heard a 'click' followed by flames in a two-story house behind my home," he told The Jakarta Post.

Central Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said the cause of the fire, which residents blamed on a stove explosion, was still under investigation.

The afternoon fire prompted hundreds of the residents, particularly women, to flee in panic. Others tried desperately to save their possessions.

Some locals, brandishing weapons, insisted the firefighters drive their vehicles closer the scene despite the fact the narrow alleys made maneuvering difficult.

The fire was still raging at 9 p.m. (bsr/ivy)