Sawah Besar fire kills two and destroys 31 houses
Sawah Besar fire kills two and destroys 31 houses
JAKARTA (JP): Two men were killed yesterday in a fire which
ravaged 31 houses and left 48 families in the Sawah Besar
district homeless.
The victims, identified as Hasan Basri, 40, and Kurniawan,
18, were all residents of Jl. Karang Anyar, Sawah Besar, Central
Jakarta.
Sawah Besar Police Chief Maj. Iriawan said the fire was caused
by an explosion of an oil stove in a house rented by a local food
trader.
Police were questioning the trader's assistants, identified as
Syafei and Ading, who were in the house during the incident. "The
trader, Oji, was in Bogor, West Java when the fire broke out."
Eyewitnesses said Hasan Basri was killed trying to extinguish
the fire, which started at 8:00 a.m.
"He was pouring water with a pail when an electric wire fell
on him. He was electrocuted," eyewitnesses were quoted as saying.
The death of another victim, Kurniawan, was more tragic, said
local residents.
"The second grade senior high school student tried to save his
dog, trapped in the fire which razed his home," a resident said.
"Residents asked firefighters to save both the teenager and
the dog. Unfortunately, the firefighters could only save the dog.
Kurniawan was found dead in a bath tub after the fire was
extinguished," Darman said.
Central Jakarta Fire Brigade deployed 14 fire trucks and
extinguished the fire at 10:30 a.m.
"We found it difficult to find water resources in the area,"
Nario, a firefighter, said. "No water hydrants exist in such an
area."
The densely-populated area has narrow alleys, making
maneuvering difficult for the firefighters. Iriawan said the fire
caused damage costing an estimated Rp 150 million.
The City Social Services Office sent sacks of rice to the
Karang Anyar sub-district office yesterday to assist victims of
the fire.
Meanwhile, another fire gutted Grogol Mental Hospital on Jl.
Latumeten, West Jakarta yesterday. No fatalities were reported.
Sources at the West Jakarta Police Precinct said the fire
began at 11:45 p.m. Sunday night and was caused by firecrackers.
"Firecrackers burned the roof of the hospital. Losses have yet
to be calculated," the officer said.
Five fire trucks put out the fire at 12:30 a.m yesterday.
At least 22 fire incidents took place in the city this month,
causing millions of rupiah damage. The most deadly fire occurred
on Jl. Kebon Jeruk last Tuesday when two men, a mother and her
child were killed. (jun/02)