Fire victims hope to rebuild homes

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.