Six newborn babies rescued from fire

JAKARTA: Five mothers and six newborn babies, including a set of twins, were rescued from a fire late last Friday that gutted a maternity center in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta.

The fire, which broke out around 9:30 p.m., was believed to have been caused by a short circuit in an air conditioning unit.

Six fire engines were deployed by the South Jakarta Fire Agency but only two were needed to fight the blaze, which was fully extinguished around one and a half hours later.

A nurse at the center told Antara that one of the air conditioners, located at the back of the center, had caught fire.

All patients, including the newborn babies, were immediately evacuated to a nearby house belonging to the center's owner Lili Susilowati. Lili could not be reached for comment as she was suffering from shock.

As yet there has been no estimate of the financial losses resulting from the fire.

Jagakarsa police Second Insp. Heru W. said the cause of the fire was still being investigated. -- JP