Navy property burned in early morning fire

JAKARTA (JP): Fire gutted several buildings inside the compound of the Indonesian Navy's Fleet II Headquarters on Jl. Gunung Sahari in North Jakarta early Sunday.

No fatalities were reported and total material losses have yet to be released.

No conclusive explanation was given on the fire, which took place at 4:30 a.m., with the authorities providing conflicting reports of the extent of the damage.

The first version was provided by Col. Wandoyo of the Navy Fleet II Headquarters.

In a written report to the Jakarta Police, Wandoyo said the fire, which was believed to have been caused by a short circuit, started in the headquarters' main office and spread to the nearby financial office building.

It subsequently spread to a warehouse housing weapons and rifles, he said in the report.

Another version of events was provided by North Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Wisjnu Amat Sastro.

He said the building affected was the navy personnel's cooperatives office.

"No, it's not a warehouse where ammunition and rifles are kept. If that building was hit by fire, I can't imagine the massive explosion that would result," he told The Jakarta Post.

Wisjnu insisted the fire was "small" and could be extinguished in less than an hour.

He added that his officers were trying to determine the cause of the fire and he did not want to speculate.

Police earlier reported that at least seven fire engines were deployed to the scene to extinguish the blaze.

Dozens of personnel from the National Police's bomb squad also were deployed to the site to secure explosive materials in the compound.

Wisjnu said that no members of the National Police Laboratory Forensic Laboratory arrived at the scene despite being notified by his personnel.

"But I hope they will show up tomorrow because the sooner we find out the source of the fire, the sooner we can disclose the cause," Wisjnu said.(emf)