Tanah Abang fire kills six people, destroys shops

JAKARTA (JP): Six people, including a baby boy, died in a fire that gutted four shop-houses near the crowded Tanah Abang textile market on Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur in Central Jakarta on Thursday.

Their bodies were found shortly after firemen managed to put out the fire, which started at about 11 a.m. at the three-story building used as shops and warehouses for styrofoam and carpets.

Employers and relatives identified the first three as one-and- a-half-month-old Willy, his aunt, Liliana, 22, and her grandfather, Paulus, 66.

The other three fatalities were identified later as Paulina, 51, owner of Sabar Subur shop, her employee Waty, 21, and Syana Abidin, 21, a local female resident.

All of the bodies were sent to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for a postmortem examination.

The fire also burned five cars parked in front of the shop- houses. Three of them, all minivans, were badly damaged.

Central Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said on Thursday at the scene that his men were still investigating the cause of the fire, which, according to some residents, was caused by a short circuit.

Eyewitnesses said the fire was first spotted at the Sabar Subur shop before it spread quickly to the neighboring shops in the scorching midday sun.

A Fang, the owner of Indah Jaya shop located beside Sabar Subur, was seen imploring the onlookers to do something to help her three relatives, Willy, Liliana and Paulus, who were trapped on the third floor.

"Please tell the firefighters to spray water on the third floor," she cried, begging the crowd for help.

Despairing of help from the crowd, A Fang, accompanied by her son-in-law A Liong, tried to get closer to the burning shop to help the three but the searing flames drove them off.

They repeated their efforts but failed again as the fire grew more intense.

"I just want to tell the firefighters to spray water onto the third floor. They are still there," she told the sympathetic but helpless crowd.

For cousin

According to one of her employees, Tarsiti, 16, she and A Liong dashed out of the shop-house as soon as they saw flames begin to flare up.

"Nana (Liliana's nickname) ran back into the shop to tell her grandfather and save her cousin," Tarsiti said with tears in her eyes.

"My baggage and my money were all in the shop. My employer had promised to take me home to Banjarnegara for the Idul Fitri holiday," she said.

The remains of Paulina, Waty and Syana were difficult to identify by their relatives due to the extent of the burns.

An explanation as to how the three victims met their unfortunate fate at the burning site remained unclear as none of their relatives witnessed Thursday's incident.

Paulina's son, David, refused to comment on how her mother was trapped in the midday inferno but said the body of her mother would be buried as soon as his family and relatives gathered and gave their last respects.

"She had a lot of friends, many of whom had no idea about the accident," he said at the St. Carolus hospital.

Waty's body has already been claimed by her uncle Jamili, who came from Cepu in Central Java.

The body of Syana, a resident of Jl. Kebon Kacang V, was taken home by her relatives late on Thursday.

As of Friday afternoon, police and some locals were still combing the debris at the gutted shop-houses, with the worst expectation being they may find other fatalities.

Four eyewitnesses had been reportedly intensively questioned over the fire. (ivy/emf)