Fire razes shanties in Penjaringan

Fire razes shanties in Penjaringan

JAKARTA (JP): Another 90 scavengers' shanties in Penjaringan
district, North Jakarta were destroyed yesterday by fire, only 10
days after fire killed one person and razed 400 makeshift houses
in a neighboring subdistrict.

No fatalities were reported and financial losses are still
being calculated.

Makyo, an officer of the North Jakarta fire brigade said as of
7:30 p.m., the fire, which began at 3.40 p.m, had not yet been
put out.

"We are finding it difficult to extinguish the fire, because
there were large amounts of used paper collected by the
scavengers in the area," the officer told The Jakarta Post.

The fire's cause is yet to be determined.

The North Jakarta mayoralty announced yesterday that the
squatters were not allowed to build their shanties, since the
area is designated as a water catchment area. (jun)