Fire razes nearly 100 kiosks in Kenari electronics market
Fire razes nearly 100 kiosks in Kenari electronics market
JAKARTA (JP): Almost 100 kiosks in the Kenari electronics
market on Jl. Salemba Raya in Central Jakarta were destroyed by a
fire which began early yesterday morning. No fatalities were
reported.
Central Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Abubakar Nataprawira
said the fire, which started at 3:30 a.m., was probably caused by
an electrical short circuit from one of the market's 452 kiosks.
"The police are interrogating a kiosk owner and the on-duty
security guards," Abubakar said. The fire is estimated to have
cost billions of rupiah in losses.
Around 98 kiosks managed under the city-owned market company
PD Pasar Jaya were destroyed in the fire, which led to hours of
congestion on Jl. Salemba Raya to Jl. Matraman Raya.
The kiosks were owned by 377 traders, according to the
company's management.
The dense market, popular for relatively cheap electronic
products, is known as the old Kenari market to differentiate it
from the new neighboring high story building built to accommodate
the traders.
Although most of the fire was put out before noon, until late
afternoon firefighters were still trying to cope with the
remains. Firefighters said before 11 a.m., fire sparked again in
kiosks located in the middle of the market, which also contained
electronic goods.
Strong winds blew the thick smog around while kiosk owners,
black with soot and drenched in dirty water, shouted into
handphones and gathered whatever they could salvage.
Others who had found their lost goods stood around speechless.
Insurance
"We are not insured," Andreas, an owner, said. Most insurance
companies refuse to insure kiosk owners in traditional markets,
he and other traders said.
The source of water was hydrants from across the road and the
Paseban river 200 meters away, as no hydrants were found in and
around the market.
"We will try to drag the hoses up along the pedestrian
bridge," M. Idris Paddai, the head of operations control at the
Fire Department said.
"Many of our hoses were destroyed by passing cars, though we
tried to divert traffic," he said.
Fredy Alling, the chief of the Central Jakarta fire
department, told The Jakarta Post that he received a call about
the fire at 4:15 a.m., and immediately deployed 19 brigades with
160 personnel to the site.
He said the fire could be stopped in less than three hours,
had there been a hydrant nearby.
Idris said time was also wasted in having to break down kiosk
walls so firefighters could pass.
"There should be one corridor for every five kiosks in a row,
but here there is only one after more than 10 kiosks," he said.
The head of the market, Masdar, said the total losses could
not be estimated yet.
Edi, a kiosk owner, said he lost about Rp 100 million (US$
42,194). Another, Chandra, said he lost Rp 400 million.
Central Jakarta Mayor Abdul Kahfi and the spokesman of the
market company, Lihardin Sipayung, said separately that owners
are not allowed to rebuild their kiosks.
They repeated earlier announced plans to renovate the market
and accommodate traders in temporary sites along the slow lane of
the road.
Traders said they had just had a meeting with officials around
two weeks ago, in which they had agreed to move when the
temporary sites were ready.
Security officers said it was too early to suspect arson.
The market company had planned to initially accommodate 100
traders at the temporary site. (jun/26/anr)