Six die in fire, child survives

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Six people died in a fire that gutted a house in the Attorney General's Office (AGO) housing complex in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, in the early hours of Saturday. There was one survivor.

Among the dead were Evi Kawit, 50, a prosecutor with the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office and her grandchildren Andika, 9, and Imanuel, 7. Evi's friends Wis, 48, Endah, 25, and Merli, 26 were also killed.

Evi's youngest granddaughter Tabitha, 5, was rescued from the fire and is now being treated for burns at the Pertamina hospital.

"She was thrown out the window. It was not clear who did that," said Cilandak Police chief of detectives First Insp. Subekan. "It was sort of a miracle."

The fire started at about 2:15 a.m. and quickly gutted the two-story wooden house on Jl. Adhiyaksa Blok D, located behind Lebak Bulus stadium. Ten fire trucks were deployed to the scene and the fire was extinguished over one hour later.

"Neighbors who witnessed the fire and tried to help those inside said that the fire had started in the living room on the first floor. But we have yet to determine the cause of the fire," Subekan said.

Passersby were the first to be aware of the fire. They tried to wake the occupants by shouting. But the victims, who had been sleeping upstairs were trapped, said Subekan, quoting witnesses.

The grieving family have yet to decide where to bury Evi and the children. They are still waiting for the arrival of Evi's son Franklin who resides in America.

Evi's cousin, Lies, said at the morgue of Fatmawati Hospital that the family wanted to bury all of the victims at the AGO's graveyard in Cibinong area, Bogor. However, she said, the institution's policy only allows employees, and not family members, to be buried there.

The alternative is Tanah Kusir public cemetery, Lies said.