823 fires recorded
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Fire Department recorded 823 fires in the city during the first nine months of this year. In these incidents 22 people were burned to death and 45 others injured,
The estimated material losses caused by the fires were about Rp 87 billion (US$27.1 million), Johny Pangaribuan, the head of the agency's public participation division said yesterday.
The causes of 101 of the blazes are still not known, he told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
The number of fires recorded in the city during the January- September period has already exceeded the total for the whole of last year.
During 1996 there were 723 fires, in which 17 people died and 64 others were injured, said Johny. The material losses totaled Rp 61.9 billion. A total of 5,474 houses were burned, leaving 25,912 residents homeless.
Of the 823 fires recorded so far this year, 330 were ignited by short circuits. The second most common cause was stove explosions, with 99 incidents, and third was cigarette butts, with 72, said Johny.
The mayoralty with the largest number of recorded fires was East Jakarta (193), followed by West Jakarta (189), South Jakarta (163), North Jakarta (141) and Central Jakarta (137).
Johny said that the number might increase significantly in the next few months due to the prolonged drought.
"We fear there will be more fires in the next few months because of the dry season.
"We hope Jakartans will manage things carefully to avoid fires because of the serious water shortages during this dry season."
January was this year's most deadly month with six fire- related deaths recorded. The victims were four residents of Taman Sari and two from the nearby Sawah Besar district, both in West Jakarta.
January's fires included infernos at the popular Pasar Baru Shopping Center and Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta.
The fire at Tanah Abang on Jan. 27 occurred after a clash between street vendors and city public order officials. The angry mob burned a district head's office and seven security vehicles. Official estimates of losses from the Tanah Abang riot and fire were Rp 1 billion.
On the same day, the major shopping center at Pasar Baru was also struck by fire. More than 300 premises were razed, including the Harco Plaza and the King Plaza shopping centers.
Central Jakarta Mayor Abdul Kahfi said the losses from the Pasar Baru fire were about Rp 2 billion.
The city's fire department has 2,601 firefighters, 158 fire engines and 559 fire hydrants. The head of the fire department, Suharso, has said on many occasions that the city needs 13,000 hydrants. (ste)