Ailing housewife dies in fire

Ailing housewife dies in fire

JAKARTA (JP): A 42-year-old housewife burned to death in
yesterday afternoon's fire in the Binong Permai housing complex
in Curug subdistrict in Tangerang.

Neighborhood chief Bambang Sugiarto said locals failed to
rescue Elmiyati Sarkawi, mother of three, when the fire
intensified after they broke the window panes to enter her house.

Bambang said that Elmiyati was ill and was lying down when the
fire broke out.

Her husband, Faisal Munir, was selling goods at Tanah Abang
market in Central Jakarta while two of their three children were
in school. The other child was at a neighbor's house, said
Bambang.

According to Bambang, the fire broke out at 11:15 a.m. and may
have been caused by a burning mosquito coil setting alight a
bedsheet in Elmiyati's house.

With the help of neighbors and a fire department unit, the
fire was put out two hours later. A neighboring house was also
burned.

Curug police are still collecting evidence and information to
find out the exact cause of the fire.

The body of Elmiyati was immediately taken to the Tangerang
General Hospital for a postmortem examination. (41/bsr)