Fire destroys street cafes

Fire destroys street cafes

JAKARTA (JP): A fire gutted a street cafe belonging to movie
and television star Roy Marten in the parking lot of the National
Monument park in Central Jakarta on Thursday evening.

The fire that engulfed the Bale-bale Roy Marten cafe, designed
to house hundreds of small street stalls, is thought to have
started at about 3:45 p.m., on the roof of stand number 61, which
was made of bamboo and dried coconut leaves.

No fatalities were reported and material losses had not been
estimated, as the actor could not be reached for comment.

The fire burned the entire roof and a large part of the cafe
building. It also damaged parts of the other neighboring cafes,
which were made of plastic sheet.

No one at the scene the source of the fire, Antara reported.

"The fire was suddenly seen on the roof," a witness said.

Security guards stationed at the nearby water fountain on Jl.
Medan Merdeka Barat rushed to the site, threw water on the flames
and stopped it spreading by dismantling some of the neighboring
street cafes, according to witnesses.

The fire brigade arrived 15 minutes later to fully extinguish
the blaze.

The street cafe site was launched by Governor Sutiyoso in the
middle of 1998 to allow people from all walks of life, including
artists and university students, to run a small business for
extra income during this time of hardship. (bsr)