Fire hits gold mining office

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Police are still investigating the cause of the fire that destroyed the office of a mining factory in Busang, Kutai, PT Westralian Atan Mineral, on Jan. 23.

East Kalimantan police chief Brig. Gen. Agus Saleh said yesterday he had sent information to the police headquarters' criminal laboratory in Jakarta.

Initial investigations found the fire was started by an electrical short circuit, but authorities had not ruled out arson, Antara reported.

The company suffered a loss of an estimated Rp 500 million (US$210,000) due to the fire.

"Although we have come to a conclusion on the cause of the fire, we need a more thorough investigation," Agus said. (pan)