Two killed in C. Jakarta fires

JAKARTA (JP): Fires broke out in several places in Central Jakarta over the weekend, leaving two people dead and some 1,900 people homeless, the city police spokesman said yesterday.

Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said one of the fires was caused by a candle which fell onto flammable material in a house during a power failure at 8 p.m. Sunday.

The fire, which claimed lives and ravaged 25 semipermanent homes occupied by some 150 families on Jl. Pintu Air II, Pasar Baru, was extinguished after 13 fire engines were called to the scene and firemen worked hard for five hours.

According to a fire fighter, the two victims, Iyem, 65, and her grandson Ferdi, 5, were trapped in their blazing house at Jl. Pintu Air II/37, Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta.

Witnesses told the fire fighters that Iyem's house had always been locked from the outside by her husband, a garbage collector, before he went out for work at night.

Fires also burned down two houses and a four-story shop in other areas of Central Jakarta yesterday at dawn.

Two houses, one of which was unoccupied, in Kenari subdistrict, Senen, were burned to ashes. The fire, which was caused by a short circuit in the empty house, started at 11:10 p.m. and ended at 1 a.m. yesterday, a fire fighter said.

No casualties were reported while financial losses had not been determined.

Another fire gutted a four-story shop on Jl. Mangga Dua Selatan, Sawah Besar. The building was used by a forwarding company as an office and a warehouse.

Two people were seriously injured after jumping out of a third-floor window to escape the fire which started at 5:05 a.m. yesterday.

Central Jakarta Mayor Abdul Kahfi said yesterday the victims of a fire which last Saturday gutted at least 60 houses in Kampung Rawa, Johar Baru, could rebuild their houses on similar plots.

However, Kahfi warned the people that the land belonged to the government. "They should be prepared to leave if the city administration later wants to use the land. The administration plans to build low-cost apartments on the site."

The fire left 144 families of about 1,000 people of Kampung Rawa homeless. No casualties were reported, but financial losses were estimated to reach hundreds of million of rupiah. (04/11)