KPK Clarifies Reports of Fire at Merah Putih Building

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has stated that no fire occurred at the Merah Putih Building in South Jakarta on Saturday (29/8).

The information was conveyed in response to reports of a fire in the battery room of the basement (rubanah) or basement 1 of the red-and-white building.

“We confirm that there was no fire at the KPK Merah Putih Building,” said KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo when contacted via written message on Saturday (29/8).

Budi explained that the agency was conducting fogging in the building area. The smoke from the fogging was then detected by the fire fighting equipment, which subsequently responded by automatically releasing smoke.

“The smoke from this fire fighting equipment serves to extinguish any sparks on electronic devices,” said Budi.

“So, the smoke that appeared was not from a fire, but from the fire fighting equipment,” he added.

Budi said the incident occurred in the basement area, specifically in the UPS battery room.

“Currently the General Bureau Team is vacuuming the smoke and checking other areas to mitigate and prevent potential risks,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Head of the South Jakarta Fire and Rescue Service (Gulkarmat) Asril Rizal said his agency deployed 14 personnel to extinguish a fire in the basement battery room of the KPK Merah Putih Building.

“We deployed three units or 14 personnel to extinguish the fire,” said Head of South Jakarta Gulkarmat Asril Rizal, as quoted from Antara.

According to him, the agency received information about the building fire on Jalan Kuningan Persada, No. Kav 4, RT 01/RW 06, Guntur, Setiabudi District, at 11.25 WIB.

South Jakarta Gulkarmat officers then began operations to extinguish the fire at 11.32 WIB and started the cooling process at 11.34 WIB.

“The current situation is that the fire has been extinguished and officers are continuing the process of removing smoke from the basement,” Asril revealed.