Medan fire destroys 300 houses: A total of 1,500 people lost

Medan fire destroys 300 houses: A total of 1,500 people lost their homes on Friday when a fire razed 300 houses in the Kampung Kubur area of Medan, North Sumatra. No casualties were reported in the fire that broke out at around 3:25 p.m. The fire victims blamed the huge losses on the fire brigade, which arrived an hour after the fire started despite the fact that the fire station office was located near the site. Residents vented their anger by beating one of the firemen deployed to put out the fire. --Antara