Babel Sets Up Communal Kitchens to Help Thousands of Serdang Fire Victims

Pangkalpinang (ANTARA) – The Bangka Belitung Islands Provincial Government set up a field kitchen and evacuation tents to assist thousands of victims of a fire in Serdang Hamlet, Jelutung 2 Village, South Bangka Regency, on Saturday night (10 October).

“Together with the Bangka Belitung Social Affairs Agency, we are setting up a communal kitchen and evacuation tents in the grounds of SDN 7 Simpang Rimba,” said Agus Afandi, acting head of the Bangka Belitung Provincial Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), in Serdang Hamlet on Sunday.

“The evacuation centre is at SDN 7 Simpang Rimba. There are not many evacuees in the classrooms, as most affected residents have chosen to stay with relatives or family members whose homes were not affected by Saturday night’s fire,” he said.

He said around 60 evacuees were currently staying in the classrooms at SDN 7 Simpang Rimba.

“There have been no fatalities, and these figures may still change. Damage to public facilities is also still being assessed,” he said.

According to him, the cause of the fire in Serdang Hamlet, which destroyed 500 residents’ homes, is not yet known. The fire started at around 3.10pm WIB, burning land, but information received indicated that the major blaze began when land near the residential area caught fire.

“Strong winds and dry conditions allowed the fire to spread rapidly to the residential area, as most of the houses were built with plank walls. The fire is reported to have destroyed around 500 homes, although the figures are not yet final,” he said.