Fire gutted shopping complex, market

JAKARTA (JP): The top floor of the five-story Duta Merlin shopping complex on Jl. Gajah Mada in Central Jakarta was gutted by a fire sparked by welders working in the building on Saturday.

No fatalities were reported but the one-hour blaze, which began at 9:30 a.m., backed up traffic along the busy Jl. Gajah Mada and its side streets.

There was no estimate on the amount of losses caused by the fire.

According to welders who were working on the fifth floor of the building, sparks from their welding tools accidentally came in contact with the foam casing of air-conditioning pipes from a store on the fourth floor.

In a matter of seconds the sparks caused a fire which quickly spread to nearby stores, one of the welders said.

A total of 11 fire engines arrived at the scene and firefighters were able to put out the fire some 30 minutes later.

At least two welders and a businessman have been summoned by the Central Jakarta Police for questioning.

Located about half a kilometer from the presidential palace complex, the Duta Merlin shopping complex has been under renovation to repair damage caused during the May riots last year.

On Friday, a fire gutted at least 66 kiosks and a restaurant in Pasar Rumput market in the Setiabudi district of South Jakarta.

The fire caused hundreds of millions of rupiah in damage. However, no fatalities were reported.

South Jakarta Police deputy chief Maj. Zulkarnaen said the fire destroyed kiosks on the second and third floors of the three-story market, as well as a restaurant, billiard center and cinema.

The South Jakarta Fire Department, which dispatched 13 fire engines to the scene, managed to extinguish the blaze at about 10 a.m.

A witness, Ramli, said the fire was spotted at 8:15 a.m. in Bioskop Raya cinema on the second floor of the building.

He believed the blaze, which started when most of the traders were just opening their kiosks, was caused by a short circuit.

According to the deputy head of Setiabudi district, Momo Nasrudin, the total losses caused by the fire have not yet been calculated.

However, he estimated the amount could reach some hundreds of millions of rupiah.

He said the market was built during the governorship of Ali Sadikin in the 1970s.

Momo said the market was to be renovated because it was outdated and no longer served the needs of the traders. (bsr/jun)