Fire leaves 300 homeless

Fire leaves 300 homeless

JAKARTA (JP): A fire gutted 100 houses in the densely-
populated area of Taman Sari in West Jakarta yesterday afternoon,
leaving 300 people homeless.

There were no fatalities reported.

Locals estimated a total material loss as high as Rp 600
million (US$164,835).

The fire was believed to have been initially caused by an
exploding stove at one of the residents' houses on Jl. Thalib
III, said Andi Juwana from the West Jakarta fire agency.

The fire, he said, started at around 11 a.m. and could only be
extinguished three hours later due to a lack of water sources and
the narrow access to the site, said Andi.

Out of the 29 fire units dispatched to the site, only 20 of
them were able to finally reach the area, he said.

"It is a densely populated area and Jl. Thalib is a narrow
alley," he said.

He, however, said that participation by the residents to put
out the fire was highly appreciated even though they were also
anxious about their property and loved-ones.

"There were no unusual technical constraints at all because
problems like water shortage and panicked residents are common
things in such an incident," he said.

He said that the case has already been reported to the Taman
Sari Police Subprecinct for further investigation. (04)