Over 500 fires occured over last 7 months in the city
Over 500 fires occured over last 7 months in the city
JAKARTA (JP): Over 500 fires took place in the capital over
the first seven months of the year, City Fire Agency head Suharso
said yesterday.
Suharso said fires killed 18 people and injured 35 others,
burned down 2,978 houses and left 19,390 people homeless.
Most of the fires were caused by electric short circuits, he
said. Other causes included kerosene stove explosions and
unextinguished cigarettes, he said.
"The 509 fires, which took place between January 1 and July
23, caused an estimated Rp 69.4 billion (US$27 million) in
losses," Suharso said.
The number of fire incidents that occur each year ranged
between 700 and 900, he said.
Suharso deplored news reports which blamed the agency for the
delay of fire departments reaching fire locations.
"Buildings aren't exactly built as stipulated by city
planning. Firefighters face various problems, including very
narrow roads leading to fire locations, the absence of fire
hydrants, and heavy traffic congestion, whenever a fire incident
occurs," he said.
Moreover, most fire victims did not realize firefighters'
problems, he said.
"They easily blame us for arriving late. They say we do it
intentionally, but the fact is fires aren't reported immediately
as soon as they are discovered," Suharso said.
Such misunderstanding once caused a group of fire victims to
take over water hoses from firefighters so they could extinguish
a fire by themselves.
At some places, Suharso said, firefighters not only dealt with
problems on how to extinguish a fire, but also with upset
victims.
People were sometimes angry because of rumors that houses were
intentionally burned for the sake of development of modern
building complexes, he said.
"We're firefighters. Don't accuse us of anything we don't do.
We don't do politics. We just want to extinguish fires quickly
and then go back to the office and rest," Suharso said.
He also said most high-rise buildings in the city did not have
perfect fire safety facilities.
"Only about 10 percent of the city's high-rises are equipped
with standard fire safety facilities," he said.
He said the fire agency only had one fire engine, which was
equipped with a 50-meter ladder, that had to service 700
skyscrapers in the city.
"With only one fire engine equipped with a 50-meter ladder,
skyscrapers should prepare themselves for unexpected
circumstances, such as fires," Suharso said.
Among the largest fires that occurred during the past seven
months were those that happened in January.
In the Taman Sari area of West Jakarta, four people were
killed when a fire razed a four-story building, while in Sawah
Besar district, two more people died.
Last year was considered another bad year for the agency, as
17 people were killed and 64 were injured. The 723 fires caused
an estimated Rp 211.9 billion in losses.
The City Fire Agency has 2,571 firefighters, 158 fire engines
and 631 fire hydrants. Ideally, the city needs 13,000 hydrants,
or one for every 200 meters of street, to cover the city's 65,000
hectares. (ste/07)