Man killed in beauty salon fire

JAKARTA (JP): A 78-year-old man was killed yesterday in a fire which destroyed a beauty salon in the Harmoni shopping center on Jl. Suryo Pranoto, Gambir, Central Jakarta.

A witness, Diki, said the victim, Pau Husen Thamrin, the owner of May May Salon and Bridal House, arrived in a sedan at the salon at about 7 a.m. Pau entered the salon to open it while his driver, Iwan, parked the car. Iwan was going to enter the three- story building but saw smoke and fire billowing from the third floor.

The Central Jakarta Fire Department deployed nine fire engines after they received the report at about 7:30 a.m. They managed to extinguished the fire within about an hour.

Sunaryo Wiryo, a firefighter, said Pau's body was found on the third floor of the salon, and was taken to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for an autopsy.

An officer at the Central Jakarta Police precinct said an short circuit probably caused the fire.

Bridal gowns and salon equipment were destroyed in the fire.

Employees were shocked to find their workplace gutted and their employer dead.

"Pak Pau was a good man," one of them said. "He always came earlier than the employees." (jun)