Fire guts banks, shops in Ngabang

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: Fire destroyed two banks and 51 shops Wednesday in Ngabang, 175 kilometers east of here, reports said yesterday.

No casualties from the afternoon fire have yet been reported. Police said little property had been saved.

"It took fire fighters six hours to extinguish the fire because they lacked equipment," West Kalimantan police spokesman Capt. Suhadi SW was quoted by Antara as saying.

The fire fighters had to drive 100 kilometers from Sanggau to Ngabang.

Ngabang is a transit town for people traveling between West Kalimantan regencies and between the province and neighboring Malaysia.

Two state bank branches, Bank Kalbar and Bank Rakyat Indonesia, were destroyed.

The authorities were investigating the cause of the fire and estimating material losses, Suhadi said. (pan)