Fires damage office, factory and house

JAKARTA (JP): Fires damaged part of a four-story office building in South Jakarta, a leather processing factory in North Jakarta and an empty house in West Jakarta on Saturday. No fatalities were reported.

The first fire started at about 5:30 a.m and damaged the fourth floor of the oil and gas contractor PT Perfiniki Engineering office on Jl. Mampang Prapatan Raya.

The South Jakarta Fire Brigade chief, Ishak Sulaeman, said the fire, which was put out in two hours, was caused by a short circuit on the fourth floor.

The office's security guard, Darmono, said computers and files were destroyed in the fire. Losses had yet to be calculated.

The second fire, which started at about 1 p.m, destroyed a leather processing factory on Jl. Jembatan Dua, Penjaringan.

A fire fighter, Sidik, speculated that a short circuit caused the fire at a processing machine.

The fire, which was extinguished by about 2 p.m., caused an estimated Rp 50 million (US$20,833) in material losses, he said. Eleven fire engines were deployed to deal with the fire.

An empty house on Jl. Pulau Lati, in Permata Kembangan housing complex was razed by a fire which started at about 4 p.m.

The losses have yet to be calculated, Mujiman, a firefighter at the West Jakarta Fire Brigade, said.

He said nine fire engines extinguished the fire in about one hour. (jun)