Fire razes two factories in Cakung bonded zone

JAKARTA (JP): A fire razed two factories in the Kawasan Berikat Nusantara bonded zone in Cakung, North Jakarta, yesterday, causing up to Rp 750 million (US$322,580) in material losses. No fatalities were reported.

North Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Abubakar Nataprawira said the fire that gutted PT Konaan Jaya II and PT Gresina might have been caused by an electrical short circuit.

"We are still investigating," Abubakar told The Jakarta Post yesterday, adding that the police have questioned four factory security guards.

Eyewitnesses said the fire started around 5 a.m. in PT Gresina's warehouse. It soon spread to the adjacent building of PT Konaan Jaya II.

PT Konaan Jaya, which is owned by a Taiwanese investor, produces leather bags, while PT Gresina, which is owned by a Korean, produces t-shirts.

It took fire fighters nearly four hours to put out the blaze.

"Had the fire been reported earlier we might have been able to prevent the fire from spreading, thus minimizing the losses," one fireman said.

The blaze was the latest in a series of fires to have occurred at almost the same time in five locations in North Jakarta over the past two days.

On Thursday night, a fire destroyed three houses in Warakas, causing damages of at least Rp 25 million.

Another fire on Thursday destroyed several rolls of cables in a warehouse on Jl. Agung Permai Sunter Podomoro, Tanjung Priok. Losses inflicted by the fire were estimated at around Rp 5 million.

Also on the same day, a shop located on Jl. Kalimati perished in flames, though the losses caused have yet to be determined.

A three-story building owned by PT Sarana Aikon Utama was destroyed today by a fire, causing the company to suffer losses of at least Rp 15 million. The fire, reportedly caused by an electrical short circuit, started at 3:40 p.m. and lasted for one hour, one fire fighter said.(04/14)