Police question fire witnesses

JAKARTA: Police said on Sunday that they were currently questioning several witnesses of a fire that killed five people and burned down 34 houses in Kali Anyar, Tambora, West Jakarta early on Saturday.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said that police officers had not yet determined the cause and the source of the fire or whether or not it was an act of arson.

"We know the fire came from a rented house in the area. We have questioned the owner. However, we haven't declared suspects in the case as we still gathering more evidence," he said.

According to several witnesses, the fire started from a rented house belonging to a local resident identified as Timu, and spread to 34 other houses in the neighborhood. At least 300 people lost their homes because of the fire.

Police said earlier that based on a preliminary examination a short circuit in one of the rooms in the rented house may have caused the fire. --JP