Two killed in furniture factory fire

JAKARTA (JP): Two workers were killed in an overnight fire which burned part of a furniture plant on Jl. Palapa, Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on Monday.

Their bodies were found after the fire had been extinguished. They were difficult to identify.

According to Januri, one of the victims' colleagues at the plant, PT Palapa Utama, the two employees were identified as Nurhikmah, 23, of Rawabuaya area and Parjiman, 27, of Jl. Dharma Wanita.

The plant's estimated material losses were about Rp 1 billion (US$341,880), Januri said yesterday.

He said Nurhikmah and Parjiman and three other workers, including Januri, were on the night shift in the finishing department when a compressor outside the room overheated and exploded.

The compressor was placed outside the only door to the finishing room, he said.

"So when the compressor exploded, both victims were far from the door and it was too late for them to run outside as the fire had reached the door. They were trapped in the room," he said.

Januri said the other three workers, including himself, fled when they saw sparks coming from the compressor.

Both bodies were taken to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital morgue for post mortem test.

According to firefighter Mujiman from the West Jakarta Fire Department, the fire report reached his desk at about 8 p.m. on Monday.

Fifteen fire trucks were sent to the scene. A backup of seven more fire trucks were sent there two hours later, he said.

Due to the amount of flammable material such as plywood at the plant, the fire department was unable to extinguished the fire until 12 a.m. yesterday, he said. (04)