Three Vessels Gutted by Fire at Muara Angke, Police Launch Investigation

A fire destroyed three vessels docked at Muara Angke Pier, Penjaringan District, North Jakarta, on Sunday (19/7). The Criminal Investigation Unit (Reskrim) of the Sunda Kelapa Port Police is conducting an investigation while waiting for the vessels to be safe enough for a crime scene investigation. “We are still investigating,” said AKP Ery Suroto, Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit at the Sunda Kelapa Port Police, in Jakarta on Sunday. Ery stated that the investigation aims to determine whether there are any indications of criminal activity in the fire incident. He acknowledged that his team has not yet been able to enter the vessels because they are still too hot following the fire. Officers will process the crime scene on the three vessels once the conditions have cooled down. The police have already taken statements from several witnesses at the location. “For now, we cannot process the crime scene because it is still hot after the fire,” he said. The North Jakarta and Thousand Islands Fire and Rescue Service (Gulkarmat) suspects that the fire, which gutted the three vessels on Sunday morning, was triggered by an electrical short circuit during repair work. “Information from witnesses indicates the fire was triggered by an electrical short circuit during vessel repairs,” said Gatot Sulaeman, Head of Operations for Gulkarmat. According to witness accounts, they saw smoke billowing from a vessel that was undergoing repairs or docking at the site. The witnesses then tried to seek help from nearby residents, but the fire grew larger, prompting them to call the fire brigade.