Two women die in fire

Two women die in fire

DENPASAR, Bali: Two women burned to death on Monday night when fire gutted the shop/house where they lived, Antara reported yesterday.

The women, I Nengah Ariani, 27 and Sujani, 24, could not escape when the shop caught fire about 11:30 p.m.

Local residents said the fire brigade, which is stationed only 50 meters from the site, arrived half an hour after the fire started and was already too big to control.

"They did not manage to put the fire out until 3:30 a.m.," one eye witness said.

"If they fail to control a fire so near to their base, how can they possibly manage fires further away," the shop's owner, Wirajaya, said.

Wirajaya said the fire cost him about Rp 700 million (about US$297). (pan)