Fire hits Indomaret, Melawai hotel

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although the Jakarta administration has called on building owners to install the required fire safety systems on their premises, fires continued unabated in the capital, with the two most recent fires at a mini market and a hotel.

Fire razed the Indomaret mini market on Jl. Raya Kebayoran Lama, Kebon Jeruk district, West Jakarta, at about 6:50 a.m. on Monday, and swiftly spread to a Toyota car shop next door.

No fatalities were reported in the incident, and the Kebon Jeruk police were still investigating the cause of the fire and the losses incurred.

At least 20 fire trucks and their support vehicles arrived later, but it was too late to save either of the small businesses.

Separately, on Sunday night, a store room on the seventh floor of the Melawai Hotel in South Jakarta caught fire.

Security guard, Rupinsi, 43, called for help after seeing thick smoke coming from the room.

Fifteen fire trucks were dispatched and managed to control the blaze before it could spread to any other rooms or floors. There were not reports of casualties.

Jakarta Police officials said they were still investigating the cause of that fire too, but they suspected an electrical short circuit.

Over the last few months, a slew of large fires have destroyed a number of residential areas, mostly slums, leaving thousands of people homeless. In this year alone, 11 people have been killed in 364 fires that caused billions of rupiah in material losses. The most recent were the fires in Kebon Melati and Sawah Besar, both in Central Jakarta.