Fire destroy Aug. 17 celebrations

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

A fire that gutted the homes of 80 families in Kebon Kacang, Central Jakarta, early Tuesday spoiled residents' plans to celebrate Independence Day.

No fatalities were reported.

The fire started at around 2:30 a.m. when several residents were working late decorating their neighborhood with buntings of small red-and-white flags.

"We had planned to stage a dangdut performance here last night," Arsen, 22, one of the victims, said on Tuesday.

His father, Hasyim, 58, said they had arranged games for children in the neighborhood.

Instead of celebrating the Independence Day, they were seen sitting around watching over what remained of their homes.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. However, some residents suspected that it was caused by a cigarette butt or a mosquito coil.

"Tanah Abang Police had arrived and checked the situation. They cordoned off the house where the fire started," Arsen said. "Many of houses here are made of wood, so the fire spread quickly."

Yati, a mother of two, said since it had already happened she did not care what caused the fire.

"My husband and I were sleeping when neighbors banged on our door, saying there was fire. We didn't have time to save anything," said Yati, whose house was next to the house where the fire allegedly started.

For the time being, fire victims are sleeping in temporary shelters.

"The developer of the Kebon Jati market has offered us a place to sleep in the unfinished market building, but we prefer to stay around here," Yati said.

Earlier on Sunday, at least 440 people from nearby Petamburan subdistrict lost their homes in a fire.

Fire also gutted dozens of houses in a densely populated slum in Kampung Pedurenan in Cakung, East Jakarta, on Monday.

The fire began at about 11 a.m. and spread rapidly to neighboring houses. There were no reports of fatalities. As of 2 p.m., firefighters were still working to extinguish the blaze.

Residents grabbed what belongings they could from their homes and stacked them along Jl. Rajiman Widyoningrat -- the main access road to Bekasi, Klender and Pulogadung -- causing severe traffic congestion.

"We haven't calculated the total number of victims, but most of them were single people working at companies and plants in Pulogadung Industrial Zone," Adj. First. Insp. Suprapto, a Cakung police officer said on Tuesday.