Fire guts 1,200 kiosks

Fire guts 1,200 kiosks

JAKARTA (JP): Around 1,200 kiosks were reduced to ashes when a fire gutted a makeshift traditional market on Jl. Wijaya Kusumah I in Klender, East Jakarta, Sunday night.

The blaze, believed to have been caused by a short-circuit, broke out at 6.30 p.m. Fire fighters had difficulty extinguishing the blaze due to a dearth of water and no river in the area. It took them more than six hours to completely put out the fire, Antara reported.

The traders, who mostly sell foodstuffs, have been occupying the market site, formerly a soccer field, since last year. The place was used as a makeshift market after the market they previously occupied, located nearby, was also razed by fire last year. (bas)