Victims Of The Big Rice Field Fire Hope That The Government Can Donate Clothing, School Uniforms, And Milk For Children

A woman, a victim of the Sawah Besar fire, looks for valuables that can still be used in a pile of charcoal / Photo: IST

JAKARTA - Residents of fire victims on Jalan Budi Rahayu 1, Mangga Dua Selatan Sub-District, Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta hope that the DKI government can provide convenience in managing letters or important documents that were burned.

Not only that, the residents also asked the government to be responsive to the fate of the victims, whose property had disappeared due to fire.

Yono (39), one of the victims, said that before the fire spread, a loud explosion occurred at around 22.30 WIB. Yono said the fire came from a two-story house, not far from his house.

"So the fire was big and there was an explosion that broke the glass on the second floor, accompanied by a large fire," said Yono at the fire site, Friday, January 28.

Yono hopes that the government can immediately help the victims whose houses were burned, such as assistance in making burnt letters, milk for children, clothes, school uniforms and rebuilding houses.

"This is just the clothes I was wearing, the others were saved from being burned," admitted Yono.

Meanwhile Junaidi, a resident of RT 06/09, said that he could not save valuables. Neither two-wheeled vehicles, letters to clothes, nothing can be saved.

"The house that caught fire was right in front of my house but the fire was on the second floor. At that time the fire was already big and there was an explosion. I didn't have time to save anything, only the clothes I was wearing," he said.

Head of the Central Jakarta Gulkarmat Sub-department (Kasudin) Asril Rizal confirmed the fire. The fire that scorched the house in RW 09 came from an electrical short circuit in one of the residents' houses.

"The temporary suspicion is an electric short circuit," he said.

Asril Rizal said the incident began when a resident saw a fire from one of the houses under which there was a food stall belonging to the boarding house occupant. Then the fire grew, the resident panicked and could not contain it, and immediately contacted the fire department.

"When there was a blackout there were power failures, strong winds and crowds of people," he said.

Asril Rizal said the blackout started at 22.50 WIB and finished at 04.35 WIB. In the fire, 18 units with 110 officers were deployed.

Temporary losses are estimated at Rp700 million, not counting other losses that have not been recorded.