Another market razed in Bogor

JAKARTA (JP): Up to 21 semi-permanent kiosks at Pasar Merdeka, Bogor, were razed to the ground by fire on Wednesday night, causing millions of rupiah of damage. No fatalities have been reported.

Vendors said the fire started at 8.30 pm when a vendors' stove exploded. The fire immediately spread to other kiosks, the Jayakarta daily reported yesterday.

Vendors and construction workers did their best to put out the blaze before fire fighters arrived an hour later. Of the 39 kiosks at the market, only 18 are intact after the fire which took fire fighters an hour to extinguish.

H. Alamsyah, head of the Bogor market authority stated that the temporary kiosks on Jl. Merdeka were considered ineffective before the fire.

The vendors were scheduled to move to new kiosks at Jl. Kartini within two weeks. Unfortunately, the disaster struck and the new kiosks are not yet completed.

The police department is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

This is the second fire to hit Bogor's market this year. Kebun Kembang market was destroyed in late March, killing 10 employees of the Ramayana Department Store. (25)