Fire razes 20 slum homes in Cikini

At least 20 families living in a slum area under the elevated railway line on Jl. Cikini 4, Central Jakarta, lost their homes to fire on Sunday afternoon.

The fire started at about 4 p.m. and it spread quickly as the residents' shacks were made out of cardboard and plywood.

No fatalities or injuries were reported in the incident.

"I don't know what happened. Suddenly, the fire was out of control," said Mulyadi, one of the residents.

He lost his home along with various valuables, including a television set, a radio, beds and clothes.

Nine fire trucks from the Central Jakarta fire brigade were deployed to put out the fire. The firefighters managed to extinguish the fire at 4:30 p.m.

Another fire victim, Kokom, said she suspected the fire started when a pile of garbage was set ablaze by persons unknown.

Police are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Most of residents in the area work as scavengers and street vendors, and in low-paid jobs. They have been residing there for the last three years.

"I don't know where to go now," Mulyadi said.

The Fire Department has repeatedly warned that most fires in the city's slum areas are due to residents' negligence. There are 53 of the city's 257 subdistricts that are prone to fire.

Firefighters often find it difficult to put out the fires due to poor access to the densely populated areas.

As of July this year, 390 fires in the city had claimed 23 lives and injured 52 people. The Fire Department has estimated the ensuing losses at around Rp 59.72 billion (US$6.56 million).

The number of fires reported in the city has increased over the past three years, with 854 fires in 2003, 837 in 2002 and 729 in 2001. -- Antara