Fires hit Tambora and Tebet

JAKARTA (JP): At least 15 houses, a building materials shop and a small mosque in a densely populated area on Jl. Duren Utara in Tambora, West Jakarta, were gutted by fire on Friday.

The fire was believed to have been started by an electrical short circuit in the mosque, a witness said.

"The fire started at 11:30 a.m.," a local resident called Ahmad said. No fatalities were reported.

He said the fire then spread to a shop full of sawn timber before engulfing nearby houses.

Hundreds of residents were seen trying to save their belongings from the fire.

Twelve fire engines were dispatched to the scene by the West Jakarta fire department and the blaze was brought under control within 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile, another fire destroyed a Padang restaurant on Jl. Soepomo in Tebet, South Jakarta, later in the day.

The fire, which started at 3 p.m, began after a gas stove exploded in the restaurant, a fireman from the South Jakarta fire department said.

Six fire engines were sent to the scene and the fire was extinguished in about one hour. (jun)