Fire guts in Bappenas building

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)