Fire leaves people homeless

BANDUNG: An early morning fire destroyed 58 houses in a slum area here yesterday, leaving 478 people homeless and causing losses of about Rp 2 billion (about US$850,000).

Eyewitnesses said that the fire started at 1.30 a.m. at the house of the neighborhood chief, Dadang, and quickly spread to adjacent properties.

Dadang said the fire caused residents to flee their homes in panic. "They were alerted by security guards. People ran out to find most of the neighborhood had been devastated," he said.

The fire brigade, who arrived late, did not fully extinguish the fire until four hours later. The victims said they lost most of their belongings because the fire spread very quickly.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. No injuries were reported. (17/pan)