Fire razes Kupang's biggest market

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Fire razed the biggest traditional market in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Monday. No casualties were reported, but at least two people were seriously injured in the blaze.

The fire started at around 1.30 p.m., burning down hundreds of kiosks and shops in the Oeba market and more than 10 nearby houses.

By 4 p.m. the fire was not yet extinguished, although five fire trucks had been deployed to the scene.

The narrow roads leading into the market were blamed for the difficulty in putting out the fire.

Police were investigating the cause of the blaze. However, it was suspected that a short circuit in one of the razed kiosks had started the fire.

Muhammad Kasim, a 30-year-old migrant trader from South Sulawesi, whose clothing kiosk was burned to the ground, could not say what had caused the fire.

"It happened so fast. I was serving customers when, suddenly, people started shouting. Within minutes, all the kiosks and shops were burned down," he said.

Kupang Mayor SK Lerik visited the scene and expressed concern over the fire. He promised to provide the victims with assistance, but declined to go into details.

In 2002 hundreds of kiosks in the same market were gutted by fire after a stove exploded in one of the shops there. -- JP