Fire razes 14 houses in W. Jakarta

JAKARTA: An eight-alarm fire burned down 14 houses in a lower middle-class residential area along Jl. Jelambar 2, Jelambar subdistrict, West Jakarta on Wednesday.

The fire started at around 4:45 p.m. and no fatalities were reported in the blaze.

Firefighter Waluyo Utomo said that 48 firemen in eight trucks were deployed to extinguish the fire and managed to do so finally at around 7:30 p.m.

He also said that the cause of the fire was still unknown and currently under investigation by the West Jakarta Police.

Elshinta radio reported that a man named Indra reportedly suffered a minor head injury after falling from a roof when he was trying to help extinguish the fire.

The fire, which broke out just before rush hour, caused heavy traffic congestion in and around Grogol, an area notorious for heavy traffic under normal conditions. -- JP