Fire damages Chinese temple in Angke, six killed
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Six members of a family were killed and three others badly injured in a fire that damaged two three-storey homes and the Vihara Dharma Tedja Chinese temple in Angke, West Jakarta, on Monday.
Police concluded the fire was due to the negligence of another family member who was smoking as he poured paint thinner.
Five of the dead were found huddled together in the bathroom of a two-storey home. They had attempted to save the life of a baby by placing it in a bath filled with water. The sixth victim was found near an exit door.
Half the temple on Jl. Angke Indah (formerly Jl. Jamhari) was damaged during the blaze.
The houses, three of five in a housing complex, belong to three brothers, Tan Wikuan, Tan Wichiang and Tan Wihok.
The victims were identified as Tan Wihok's wife Ima, 45, and her two children, Ester, a 9-month-old baby, and Yanto, 16; Ima's sister Cu Ong, 43, and her children, Michael, 9, and Bella, 4.
Three other family members, Ferry, 20, Tan Ik Nyo, 65, and Tarmidi aka Tektek, 40, were injured.
Ferry, struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, told The Jakarta Post he was sleeping when the blaze broke out at 10:30 a.m. He escaped after smashing a window with his hand. He suffered minor cuts.
Ferry said he prevented his grandmother, Tan Ik Nyo, from entering the burning building to salvage important documents.
"But, I didn't know that many of my relatives were still inside. They could have survived if they reached the exit window at the back of the building."
Tambora Police subprecinct chief Comr. Listyo Sigit said police concluded the fire was caused by negligence.
He said a cigarette butt discarded by Tarmidi, a brother to the homeowners, ignited thinner he was pouring into a tank.
The fire was fueled by several tanks of thinner, which he had stored in front of the houses besides other combustible materials like plastic blankets, paper and wax.
Police seized several tanks of thinner from the scene as evidence.
Dozens of fire fighters aboard 10 fire engines were deployed to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters arrived after about 15 minutes and extinguished the fire by 12:30 p.m. The fire was near the road and could be reached easily.
The bodies were taken to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for autopsies, while the injured were taken to the nearby Sumber Waras Hospital.
The temple was completely renovated in 2001.
"The renovation cost Rp 167 million (US$18,000), which was collected from the congregation. Now, you see the new building is severely damaged due to negligence," Agus, the temple caretaker, said.