Fire razes five houses

JAKARTA: Five houses in Gg. Kamboja, Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta, were razed by fire early on Friday morning. No casualties were reported and the ensuing losses have yet to be estimated.

The Fire Brigade needed 40 minutes to quench the fire as it had difficulties in reaching the location due to the fact it was down a narrow alley.

Witnesses said the fire started in Mas Panjang's house.

Abdullah, the first resident to alert the neighborhood, said that the fire began at around 0:30 a.m.

"I actually heard a liquid petroleum gas tank explode," he said, as quoted by beritajakarta.com. However, his wife immediately cast doubt on the accuracy of Abdullah's statement. -- JP