Woman loses husband, children to fire

JAKARTA (JP): A woman lost her husband and two children to a raging fire, which engulfed their house on Jl. Kelapa Dua Hibrida Utara in the Sector VI of Gading Serpong housing complex in Curug, Tangerang, early Saturday morning.

City Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bahrul Alam said the fatalities were identified as Anton, 40, and his two children, Perno, 4, and Martiani, 9.

"Anton's charred body was found with Martiani's body, hugging one another. Perno was actually rescued from the fire and rushed to the Siloam Gleneagles Hospital, but doctors failed to save the child," the officer told reporters on Sunday.

"The irony is that there was a nearby fire engine in the area, but it was totally useless since the keys to the fire engine were missing ... otherwise the fire could have been immediately put out."

Anton Bahrul said that the fire allegedly started at 1 a.m. due to short circuit while the family was fast asleep.

Both the wife, Iing, 39, and a security guard, Sayuti, 60, suffered burns due to the incident.

According to eyewitnesses, Anton had managed to pull Perno out of the fire.

"After taking Perno out, the father went back into the burning house to save Martiani," the police spokesman said.

"Residents prevented Iing from going back to the house, but they could not stop Anton. When the father was trying to save his eldest child, the roof of the house fell on top of them."

Neighbors said that they had tried to rescue the family, but the fire had spread to such an extent that they could not do anything other than to try to contact the local fire brigade to ask for more fire engines.

"Two engines arrived later, but could do nothing to put out the fire." (ylt)