Tanah Abang fire kills six people, destroys shops
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)