Fires hit Tambora and Tebet

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)