Fire off Jl. Jaksa razes 60 houses

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two young foreign women rushed out from an alleyway off Jl. Jaksa in Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta, to escape the smoke and heat from a fire that broke out in the crowded neighborhood at around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

"The heat took me by surprise as it reached my bedroom. Fortunately, the fire didn't," she said, while trying to avoid curious onlookers who had come into the alley.

Three hours earlier, residents around Jl. Jaksa, known as an area where many foreign tourists stay, were surprised by a small explosion followed by fire that spread quickly from one house to another.

At least 32 fire trucks along with dozens of firemen from the Central Jakarta fire station arrived 10 minutes later. By 3 p.m., they declared that the fire had been extinguished.

According to Djamil, the Kebon Sirih subdistrict head, around 60 houses had been destroyed by the fire.

"We haven't heard any reports of fatalities... We are still assessing the damage," he told The Jakarta Post.

Quoting several witnesses, Djamil said the fire came from one of the rented houses in the alley.

"It could have been caused by a short circuit. But we really don't know, exactly," he said.

Muchtar from the Indonesian Red Cross said that more than 10 people had been injured in the fire, and that all had been taken to a hospital.

In the alleys, meanwhile, crying and shouting could be heard from those who had lost their homes and all their possessions.

Some residents just looked at the remains of their houses in silence, while a mother cried, walking back and forth holding a baby.

"I heard people screaming for help. I rushed outside and I saw part of my house on fire. I tried to save whatever I could. But I only managed to save my baby and a TV set. I don't know what to do now," said Hesti, whose husband was still on his way home.

Not far from Hesti, Jali, 50, could only sit in front of the remains of his house, staring into the sky.

"I lost everything. I couldn't save anything. How am I going to live?" he said.

Muchtar said his office would immediately open an emergency post and kitchen nearby to assist victims of the fire.