Fire victims hope to rebuild homes

By Emmy Fitri and Hera Diani

JAKARTA (JP): Sari Rohaeti watched the ruins of her house in a small alley in the densely populated neighborhood of Kampung Bandan in Ancol district, North Jakarta.

Only a month ago the small two-story house, in which Sari lived with her family, was renovated.

"Some of my children are married. But instead of telling them to move out and rent a house of their own, I have asked them to stay with us. Of course we needed more space, so we renovated this house," Sari, who is in her 50s, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

After the renovation, the house had a total area of 40 square meters and was occupied by at least a dozen people.

But in the wee hours of July 3, the house was engulfed by fire that destroyed the neighborhood.

It started at 1:30 a.m. when a gas stove exploded in a hut in the neighborhood unit 005, and the fire spread quickly to houses in the neighboring community unit 02, which included Sari's.

Thousands of residents fled from their homes.

No fatalities were reported, but over 500 houses in 11 out of the 13 neighborhood units in the area were gutted by the fire, which was only put out three hours later.

"I woke up at 3 a.m. only to find the house was on fire. There were people shouting outside, so I ran out in panic," said Sari with teary eyes.

Fortunately, she managed to grab a bag full of important documents and certificates.

The house still stands, though. At least it still gives the impression of a two-story house although the roof is gone and the facade damaged.

And this is where Sari, her husband, six children, sons and daughters-in-law, and grandchildren sleep -- with canvas as their ceiling.

"I'd rather live here than in the shelter. Too crowded there," she noted.

The shelter that Sari meant was the nearby Maqam Kramat Kampung Bandan Foundation and Tanah Merah field.

Eighty-eight families now live at the foundation complex, which consists of a mosque, a kindergarten and the foundation office.

Meanwhile, 15 families live in makeshift tents at Tanah Merah field, while the rest, like Sari, prefer to live in their wrecked houses.

The families living at the foundation complex might have to return to their houses on Thursday.

The mosque, located on Jl. Lodan Raya, did not look like one anymore with colorful clotheslines hanging in front of the main building and all the way to its sides.

Habib Alwi Syakri from the foundation said the kindergarten students had to postpone their school year, which was supposed to start on Monday, as their classes were now used by the fire victims.

"I'm afraid the victims have to return to their houses on Thursday as the kindergarten must start its school year," he said, adding that tents and mattress were distributed by the Jakarta Police shortly after the fire.

"They must return to their respective houses but we don't know what to do if they still can't go. Maybe the kindergarten students have to share part of the building with the people," Alwi said, pointing to a two-story building behind the mosque.

Alwi said the foundation, too, could not provide accommodation and food for the people forever as the victims had to rebuild their lives and lead a normal life.

"Those who have jobs, go to work as usual, but when they return, they have to live with so many people. That is not a normal life. I feel so sorry for the children who are forced to share crowded rooms or sleep in the open air," he said.

Most of the ill-fated residents said that they were not going to give up hope. One of them, Rustam, said, "Life has to go on."

"We have been given enough sembako (nine basic commodities) from our neighbors but we need to think how to rebuild our houses," he said, adding that most of the victims are from the low-income bracket.

Rustam, who hails from Aceh, said he hoped he would be given cement and bricks to rebuild his house."

Another resident, Kustahilno, said fire and flood were not new to them. He said the fire was the third since he moved to the neighborhood in 1979.

"Flood and fire are the risks of living in slums. But this was the worst. My house is razed, all gone," said Kustahilno, a former employee of Jaya Construction.