Fire hits Mayora Indah

TANGERANG (JP): Fire raged through a candy factory belonging to food producer PT Mayora Indah in Jatiuwung subdistrict in the wee hours on Thursday.

No fatalities were reported in the blaze, which was said to originate from an electrical printing code box.

"Around midnight I saw fire flaring from the code box. We tried to put out the blaze but failed as it was spreading too fast," Satibi, a machine operator, said.

The blaze quickly gutted the factory, which the 140 workers fled in a frenzy, he said.

"Not long after, the electricity was shut down," Satibi added.

Fire fighters managed to contain the fire within the factory compound and prevented it from spreading, before extinguishing it at 4 a.m.

At least 10 automatic packaging machines and wrapping material were destroyed, causing hundreds of million rupiah in losses.

Police are still investigating the fire source, said Jatiuwung Police chief First Lt. Budi Hermawan. (41/edt)