Fire destroys 'TVRI' building and studio

Fire destroys 'TVRI' building and studio

JAKARTA (JP): A fire destroyed a broadcasting studio inside
the state-owned TVRI television station compound on Jl. Gerbang
Pemuda in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Sunday night, causing
about Rp 15 billion in material losses.

The fire, which started at about 10:30 p.m. in the control
room on the second floor, destroyed the two-story Studio II, from
where Dunia Dalam Berita (World News) was screened live. No
fatalities were reported in the incident.

"I found out about the fire when I went out to get some food.
The fire was already big. We were all running around when we
heard the fire alarm," Dian Purba, one of the station's
employees, said.

Nineteen fire engines, including five with retractable
ladders, were deployed to put out the fire. Two ambulances were
also sent to the scene in case the fire spread.

The firefighters worked tirelessly from 10:40 p.m. trying to
put out the blaze, but they had difficulty bringing the fire
under control because the building contained mostly flammable
material.

After hours of hard work, the firefighters managed to bring
control the fire by 2:20 a.m. Firefighters were still at
the sight dousing embers at 2 p.m. yesterday.

A TVRI programmer, Doni, said he had to cut short the last
show by 41 minutes.

"As people were in a panic, I stopped the show and ran
outside. The fire had also gutted the master control room,
subcontrol rooms of Studio I, II, IV, telecine room, the editing
room and the technical meeting room on the second floor," he
said.

The Central Jakarta Fire Department chief, Fredy Alling, told
The Jakarta Post that the burned studio was an old building.

"Luckily the alarm system is still in good condition," he
said.

Freddy said the cause of the fire was still being
investigated. "Please wait for further explanation."

Meanwhile, Central Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna
said at the scene that the police had taken in five TVRI
employees who worked in the air-conditioning and security
sections for questioning.

"The five men are currently being questioned at Central
Jakarta Police Station. They probably know what happened because
they were on duty when the fire broke out," Iman said.

TVRI president Azis Husein told the media that the fire would
not interrupt the station's programs. "We will still be on air.
We have a lot of broadcasting studios that can cover our
activities."

Azis looked tired and depressed during the fire. He commented
on the fire only after reporting the incident to Minister of
Information Alwi Dahlan via his mobile phone at 12:15 a.m.

"Do not worry... the cameras and most of the equipment have
been saved, so we can continue screening. We're still calculating
the losses," Azis said.

A firefighter who asked for anonymity said that the loss would
probably be more than Rp 15 billion. "The building and all the
equipment were very expensive... especially in this time of
monetary crisis," he said.

In a separate incident, a few hours before fire destroyed the
TVRI studio, a chemical tank explosion in a warehouse occurred on
Jl. Ambon in the National Bonded Zone in Cilincing, North
Jakarta.

The 5:30 p.m. explosion caused a fire which was extinguished
by 8:30 p.m. Fifteen fire engines were deployed.

"Actually the warehouse was gutted by fire on April 3, but
maybe some of the chemical tanks were exposed to heat because the
roof was in disrepair," Abdullah Bachri, head of North Jakarta
Fire Department, said.

Losses in this fire are also being calculated. (edt/jun)