Fire guts in Bappenas building

JAKARTA (JP): A fire gutted a meeting room on the second floor of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) building on Jl. Taman Surapati 2, Central Jakarta early yesterday.

One of the building's security officers Kabul Adi Cahyono said that at around 12:05 a.m. the blaze blew out a window on the left corner of the IIA building.

Kabul said he and five other on-duty officers immediately tried to put out the fire with two portable fire extinguishers.

Chief of East Jakarta Fire Department Yoyon Ardisoma said that his men received a call of the fire at around 12:20 a.m.

Yoyon said 15 fire trucks were deployed, and the fire was put out by 1:00 a.m.

"The building's simple construction made it easier for us to prevent the fire from spreading to other rooms on the second floor as well as to the first floor, where Bappenas' vice chairman's office is located," Yoyon said.

A staff member at Bappenas' secretary-general's office, M. Yosa, told Antara that no casualties were reported, but financial losses were still being calculated.

"No important documents were burned in the fire. So far, an electrical short circuit was believed to be the cause of the fire," Yosa said.

Meanwhile, another fire destroyed three homes and two shops at Pasar Pagi market on Jl. Petak Baru, in Tambora, West Jakarta yesterday. No fatalities were reported.

The fire which started at about 11:25 a.m. destroyed a toy shop and a plastic flower shop before spreading to three houses.

Efendi, a firefighter of the West Jakarta Fire Department, said an electrical short circuit in one of the shops was also believed to be the cause of the fire.

He said the fire caused an estimated Rp 500 million (US$208,333) in material losses.

The fire department deployed eight fire engines and extinguished the fire by 3 p.m. (jun/cst)