Medan fire victims in urgent need of aid

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Some 400 families whose houses and assets were destroyed in a fire in Central Petisah subdistrict in the North Sumatra capital, Medan, are in urgent need of more humanitarian aid to survive the critical situation.

So far, the city administration has given the fire victims 2 tons of rice and 60 boxes of noodles.

Jamilah, who looked depressed about the disaster, said she had nothing to sell to support her five small children.

"Like the majority of victims, we are in need of food and tend not to go out for the time being because we have no money to support our daily life. The food aid provided by the city administration on Friday has run out," she said in a hut built amid the remnants of her house here on Saturday.

She is disappointed that the city administration has yet to supply emergency aid to help the fire victims.

"Apart from the illegal ownership of land in the subdistrict, we are all residents of the city and the city administration should give the disaster victims adequate support," she said.

She said it would probably not be possible for her family to establish a new house in the location because she worked as a street vendor.

Fouraq, 30, an employee of the local office of the International Indonesia Bank (BII), called on the city authorities to supply humanitarian relief to the fire victims.

"We are very unhappy that so far, the authorities have yet to provide food aid to the fire victims since most of them are from the lower social class."

Arlan Nasution, spokesman for the city administration, said the administration regretted the fire had occurred but said it was not yet able to help the victims.

"We have yet to determine whether the local administration has the means to help the victims," he said by telephone.

A total of 300 houses were razed by the fire on Friday, causing millions of rupiahs worth of damage.

Local police are still investigating the causes of the blaze.

The fire is believed to have been caused by the explosion of firecrackers in one of the houses.

Witnesses said the fire spread quickly from house to house because most of them were made of wood.

They said the local residents were very disappointed with the late arrival of fire crews at the scene.

"The fire could be put out only after all the houses had been razed," said a resident who asked for anonymity.

A fireman was rushed to the police hospital after he was stabbed by a mob, angry at the late arrival of the fire trucks.

The mob also damaged two trucks that arrived after the houses had been completely destroyed.