Executive dies in West Jakarta fire

JAKARTA (JP): An executive of a fire protection devices supplier firm was killed in a blaze that gutted his office at the three-story Grogol Permai shophouse complex on Jl. Latumeten in Grogol Petamburan, West Jakarta, on Thursday evening.

Operations officer of the local fire department unit, David Zulkarnaen, identified the victim as Edy Sanjaya, 44, head of the Jakarta office of the Surabaya-based PT Firotec.

Edy's employee, Yalin, a 26-year-old technician, was also injured in the fire that was first spotted at 4:40 p.m. on the top floor of the Firotec office in Block B of the shopping complex, the fireman said.

The fire was believed to have been ignited by the explosion of acetylene, a colorless gaseous hydrocarbon used chiefly in organic synthesis and as a fuel in welding and soldering, at the office, David told The Jakarta Post last night.

His finding was slightly different from the police version.

According to head of West Jakarta Police detective unit, Maj. Idham Azis, the fire was caused by a short circuit which then caused an explosion of chemicals inside the office.

The West Jakarta fire department dispatched 10 fire engines and 60 firefighters to the scene to fight the fire.

David said the fire was hard to extinguish due to the great number of explosive materials in the office.

The estimated amount of material losses has not yet been revealed.

Earlier in the day another fire gutted a police boardinghouse on Jl. Palmerah Barat of Palmerah, also in West Jakarta, causing the police a Rp 20 million loss.

Eight fire engines were dispatched to put out the fire, which occurred at about 1:30 p.m. (emf/ylt)