Fire hits Banjarmasin

Fire hits Banjarmasin

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: Fire ravaged Tuesday a veteran
complex forcing 260 families from their homes. No fatalities were
reported.

Antara reported that police were investigating the cause of
the fire, which is said to have been the biggest in 15 years.

The fire, which devastated three neighborhood communities in
the complex located on Jl. Achmad Yani, nearly gutted Ulin
Banjarmasin Public Hospital.

"Two mosques were also destroyed by the fire," a resident
said.

The fire department said the roads were too small for fire
engines to reach the fire site, and water was difficult to
access.

Police speculated that the fire inflicted Rp 1 billion in
damage.

Meanwhile in Batam, fire destroyed 70 shanties in the
subdistrict of Lubuk Baja Barat Monday night, leaving 300 people
homeless.

Eyewitnesses said that the fire spread through the shanties
very rapidly. "In less than an hour the fire razed all the
shanties, which were made up of combustible material," the
witness said.

"Most of the residents failed to save their belongings, such
as TV sets, refrigerators and motorcycles," said Sagi Harto,
chief of the local fire department.

The residents assumed that the fire originated from a vacant
house. (sur)