Fire destroys artist's work

YOGYAKARTA: Fire razed a gallery belonging to noted painter Amri Yahya early on Wednesday, destroying hundreds of batik paintings and other collections worth billions of rupiah.

Amri's friend, artist Godod Sutedjo, said the batik painter was in a state of shock and taken to his relative's house following the blaze, which began before midnight on Tuesday. It took five fire engines almost three hours to douse the fire.

Amri's daughter, Emi, said she heard an explosion around 11:15 p.m. from the gallery, which stands next to Amri's residence on Jl. Gampingan. When she went out to check the blast, a fire was already well-established.

The gallery contained hundreds of batik paintings mostly created between 1972 and 1999, valuable old batik-painted clothes, books and award certificates.

Local police detective chief First Insp. Suharyono suspected a short circuit was the cause of the fire. -- JP