House Fire At Puuwatu Kendari TPA, 152 People Recorded As Evacuating

Emergency tents for evacuation of fire victims in the Puuwatu TPA area, Kendari City. (ANTARA/La Ode Muh Deden Saputra)

JAKARTA - A total of 152 people were affected by house fires located in the Puuwatu Village Final Disposal Area (TPA) area, Puuwatu District, Kendari City, Southeast Sulawesi (Sultra).

"The residents are 152 people consisting of babies, toddlers, toddlers, children, adults, pregnant women, and the elderly," said Kendari Social Protection and Security Head Izak Bulo when met in Kendari, Monday, February 17, as reported by Antara.

He said, if it was calculated based on the Head of the Family (KK), there were as many as 46 families who were victims of the fire.

Izak grew, of the 152 victims consisting of 69 men and 83 women living in refugee tents founded by the Kendari City Government (Pemkot) and the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Government (Pemprov).

"For adults, 79 people, 31 children, 18 people in Batita, nine elderly people, seven toddlers, five babies, and three pregnant women," he said.

Izak Bulo explained that the victims of the fire were set up as many as six refugee tents, which were filled with approximately 10 families per tent.

"There are about 10 families in one tent, because the refugee tents have plots for each family and their children and wife," explained Izak Bulo.

Although there were 152 people who fled in emergency tents, he said, there were also some of them who occasionally stayed at family homes not far from the location of the evacuation tents.

"But for days they live in tents," he said.

Previously, it was reported that the Kendari City Fire Department (Damkar) deployed 30 personnel to extinguish the fire which engulfed 26 Kopel or 52 houses in the TPA area of Puuwatu Village.

Acting (Plt) Head of the Kendari Damkar Junaidin Umar said the report on the fire incident was at around 19:43 WITA from local residents who informed that a fire had occurred in the vicinity of the garbage dump.

"We immediately dispatched 30 personnel to handle the fire report," he said.

Based on reports from residents, he said, the fire that occurred was thought to have been caused by short circuits and gas stoves.