Fire razes 220 houses

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Fire razed around 220 houses in Lima Ilir and Ilir Timur II subdistricts in Palembang on Friday morning, leaving 2,470 people homeless, Antara reported.

There were no reports of casualties.

Local officials said the losses caused by the fire could amount to Rp 2.5 billion.

It took eight fire trucks to put out the fire which lasted for four hours, starting from 1 a.m.

The fire was believed to have started when a cooking stove exploded in one of the houses. (05)