Gas leak suspected in three-unit rental house fire in Pulogadung, East Jakarta
Jakarta (ANTARA) - A fire swept through a three-unit rental house on Jalan Pisangan Lama RT 005/RW 02, Kelurahan Pisangan Timur, Kecamatan Pulogadung, East Jakarta on Saturday afternoon, which is suspected to have been triggered by a gas leak.
“The fire at the three-door rental house owned by Mr. Rudi, covering about 60 square metres, is believed to be caused by a gas leak,” East Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency Sub-Department (Gulkarmat) head of Operations, Abdul Wahid, said in Jakarta on Saturday.
Abdul said the agency received the fire report at 13:36 WIB from a resident named Annisa.
“Our initial information was received at 13:36 WIB. The property on fire is a three-door rental house owned by Mr. Rudi, approximately 60 square metres in size,” Abdul clarified.
According to him, the fire began when one resident was cooking lontong in the kitchen.
The gas leak is suspected to have caused the fire to spread quickly and engulf the area around the rental house.
The fire then spread and burned part of the building before it was brought under control by firefighters.
A total of four families or 15 people were affected by the fire. As of now, the extent of the losses is still under investigation.
To extinguish the fire, the East Jakarta Fire and Rescue Service mobilised nine fire engines with a total of 45 personnel.
“The first unit arrived at the scene at 13:45 WIB and the firefighting operation began immediately at 13:46 WIB,” Abdul said.
The fire was localised at 13:53 WIB so that it did not spread to neighbouring buildings. Cooling down began at 14:05 WIB.
“The firefighting operation has ended; the fire is under control,” Wahid added, noting that the operation was officially finished at 14:20 WIB.
There were no reports of fatalities in the incident. However, authorities were still conducting data collection and ensuring the area is safe from the risk of the fire reigniting.
Abdul also urged residents to exercise greater caution when using gas stoves, especially during cooking, to prevent similar incidents.