Pasar Kebon Kembang fire

Pasar Kebon Kembang fire

The Bogor administration should be held responsible for the fire that razed Pasar Kebon Kembang on March 28, 1996, regardless of whatever argument and reason the officials, particularly Bogor's Regent Eddy Gunardi, have in defense.

Why wasn't the fire brigade given special training to combat fire, using sophisticated equipment? Why didn't the administration learn from past lessons, like the Internusa Plaza fire which occurred a month earlier? Are they waiting for another bigger fire to occur?

A day after the devastating Pasar Kebon Kembang fire, the Bogor regent said: "This calamity has been sent by God. So I sincerely call on the traders to be patient." In my mind, such a statement is illogical and reflects lack of responsibility. The regent could make this statement only if his administration had taken all necessary precautions for any possible eventuality, including the provision of adequate fire-extinguishing equipment, so that human lives could be saved.

The manager of the Ramayana Department Store should also be held responsible for the Pasar Kebon Kembang fire. Why was it that the manager did not immediately inform the fire brigade and the police that some employees were trapped in the building when the fire started at about 5 a.m.? The proprietors of the department store seemed to be too afraid of goods being looted if they let people go into the building where the employees were faced with death. Did the company regard human lives so cheaply? Wasn't the insurance compensation enough to cover all the damaged materials? Please note that the insurance company rejected insurance applications from middle-scale traders on the grounds that there was too much of a risk of the market being gutted by fire.

TAMI KOESTOMO

Bogor, West Java