Finance ministry office on fire, no one hurt

JAKARTA (JP): Fire destroyed sections of a 12-story building in the Ministry of Finance complex in Central Jakarta yesterday morning, forcing about 1,000 employees to use the emergency stairways.

No fatalities were reported in the blaze which started at 10:55 a.m.

A quick response by 17 fire engines ensured that Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad's office, located next to the burning building, was saved.

Sources said the minister was not in the building at the time of the fire.

The office complex on Jl. Lapangan Banteng has three buildings, including the minister's office.

The affected building is occupied by Export Service Facilitating Agency (Bapeksta), which is under the ministry's supervision.

Kasno, a building security guard, said the fire started on the sixth floor and spread to the seventh and eighth floors.

"It's lucky that the fire didn't touch the fourth floor, which is where the ministry's data bank is located."

Kasno said a flame from a welding torch being used by a worker, who was repairing a lift on the sixth floor, is believed to be responsible for the blaze.

Sawah Besar Police chief Let. Col. M. Iriawan said that three men were still being questioned to ascertain whether recklessness was a contributory factor.

"There were three lift operators who tried to fix the jammed lifts, he said. "The fire was possibly caused by sparks from a welding tool."

Central Jakarta Fire Department Head Freddy Aling said his department deployed 17 fire engines and extinguished the fire at 11:24 a.m.

"It was quite hard to reach the burning floors because of the thick smoke and limited exits and entrances."

Freddy said one man -- a painter who jumped from the sixth floor -- was injured and taken to Gatot Subroto Army Hospital.

The head of Bapeksta, M. Tjoek Soeroso, said there were about 1,000 people in the building at the time of the blaze.

Most of their employees were attending an honorary medal ceremony on the seventh floor.

"Thank God nobody was hurt," he said. "I think the office will be closed down for a few days because we have to fix it and clean things up."

An employee, Rumyati, said one of her colleagues lost consciousness while trying to escape the thick smoke.

"We feared for her life. She probably inhaled too much smoke. But luckily she regained consciousness once she was brought outside," she said.

Yesterday afternoon, some of the employees were still busy trying to save computers and other electronic goods.

Tjoek admitted that the old building needed to be renovated.

"We were in the process of fixing this building and installing safety equipment when the fire happened. There's no arson involved here," he said. (jun/07)