Fire leaves 83 families homeless

As many as 44 houses in Gunung Sahari Utara, Central Jakarta, burned down in a large fire on Thursday morning, leaving 248 people, or 83 families, homeless.

There were no reports of fatalities in the fire, said subdistrict chief Kusni Muchtar, but the police are now investigating the cause of the fire and the material losses incurred.

"A malfunctioning kerosene stove exploded while the owner was at the market," he was quoted as saying by Antara on Thursday.

The fire started at about 8:30 a.m. and spread swiftly to other semi-permanent buildings in the densely populated area.

At least 10 fire trucks and support vehicles arrived and managed to extinguish the fire within two hours.

Not all of the residents managed to evacuate their belongings, which were seen piled beside the railway track, not far from the site.

"Some of the victims went to their relatives' homes, while others took shelter at the subdistrict administration office and the mosque," Kusni said when inspecting the site.

The residents immediately erected a makeshift public kitchen for fire victims.

A political party was also seen opening a station to receive and distribute aid and donations to fire victims. -- JP