City center fires destroy shops, classrooms

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two separate fires in Central Jakarta gutted on Tuesday several buildings, including a private school and created traffic congestion.

No fatalities or injuries were reported in the fires, while the financial losses are still being calculated.

The first fire began at about 10 a.m. in the busy business district of Mangga Besar, worsening already heavy traffic.

Witnesses said the fire began in the kitchen of the Medan Jaya restaurant, located in a multistory building. The fire soon spread to other businesses in the building, including a pharmacy, a billiard hall, a telephone kiosk and a computer game center.

The blaze also gutted 10 classrooms at Yayasan Kartini kindergarten, elementary and junior high schools, leaving just one classroom intact.

Junior high school headmaster Abdul Hamid said the students were immediately evacuated from the school compound when news of the fire reached them.

The students were sent home and will be on holiday until further notice, he said.

The Central Jakarta and West Jakarta fire departments deployed at least 19 fire trucks and support vehicles to the scene, but the trucks took over an hour to reach the fire because of the traffic.

A second fire occurred in Kebon Sirih subdistrict at about 11:15 a.m. Five fire trucks were deployed to fight the blaze, which broke out in a vacant house in a densely populated alley.

Rosy, a resident, said she was leaving her house when she spotted the flames and raised an alarm.

The blaze spread to several low-cost boarding houses near the Natrabu restaurant on Jl. H. Agus Salim (more commonly known by its old name Sabang).

Employees and customers of the restaurant and neighboring businesses quickly evacuated the shops.

The police temporarily closed off the street to allow fire trucks to reach the scene, causing severe traffic congestion along Jl. KH Wahid Hasyim and Jl. Kebon Sirih.