Fires this year cost 75 lives, Rp 104.7b losses
Fires this year cost 75 lives, Rp 104.7b losses
JAKARTA (JP): The city this year witnessed as many as 789
fires that left 75 people dead, 28,918 homeless and caused Rp
104.7 billion in material losses, an official said on Wednesday.
Johny Pangaribuan, a senior official at the Jakarta fire
agency, said that almost half of the blazes, excluding the fires
that gutted hundreds of shops, buildings and public facilities
during a series of riots here, were caused by electrical short
circuits.
"Causes of 294 fires were unknown, 74 were started by stove
explosions, 44 by burning cigarettes and five by kerosene lamps,"
Johny said.
Last year, he said, the city recorded 1,175 fires which caused
40 fatalities, including a fireman, and Rp 101.65 billion in
material losses.
This year's fires, he said, occurred mostly at night and
damaged or destroyed 5,856 homes, 142 shopping complexes, 62
factories and office complexes, 46 vehicles and 78 public
facilities.
In comparison, the fires that swept across Jakarta during the
May riots killed over 1,000 people and gutted some 6,000
buildings and public facilities. Total losses were estimated at
Rp 2.5 trillion.
Fires also claimed lives, damaged and destroyed businesses,
public facilities, churches and Catholic schools during two
separate incidents in the capital on Nov. 13 and Nov. 22.
Most of Jakarta's fires this year took place in the western
part of the city, Johny said.
"Out of all the fires, 146 took place in West Jakarta, 139 in
East Jakarta, 136 in both North Jakarta and South Jakarta and 115
in Central Jakarta," he explained.
Four of the biggest fires took place on Jl. Kartini and Jl.
Pegangsaan in Central Jakarta and Jl. Lodan in North Jakarta.
According to Johny, many of the fires, particularly in high-
rise buildings, could not be put out immediately because property
owners were negligent in adopting standard fire safety systems.
"Of some 800 buildings here, between 50 to 60 percent of them
still did not have proper fire safety systems on their
properties."
"They also failed to hold fire drills, which teach people
safety procedures during a fire," he said.
Another serious problem faced by Jakarta firemen was the
property renovations carried out by many residents without
consideration of proper fire safety systems.
"The owners, for instance, just hired a contractor to move
their shop-house into a discotheque without making any changes to
the building's fire safety system," Johny said.
In general, most Jakartans were also still unaware of the
proper usage of fire safety equipment.
"Strong evidence of this fact is that many building owners do
not invest their money in adequate fire safety systems. While
those who already owned the devices did not bother with fire
drills," he said.
These building owners adopted such an attitude "because they
knew their buildings were insured," Johny said.
Therefore, he urged all Jakartans, particularly owners of
skyscrapers, to equip their property with proper fire safety
systems and equipment.
The agency, he said, is also opened for consultation and
information on fire safety procedures and facilities.
Those interested can telephone the office at 344-1309 or 344-
7507. (ylt)