At present, there is no preemptive solution that can effectively prevent fires in the capital city.
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Satrio Pangarso Wisanggeni untuk Kompas
Residents talk with a member of the police force in front of ruins caused by a fire that hit 11 stalls and one house on Jl. Pedongkelan Raya, Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on Friday (2/2) afternoon. The fire, which occurred on Thursday (1/2) night, killed four people in the house.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Fires continue to hit Jakarta. Data from the Jakarta Fire Mitigation and Rescue Agency show there are two to four fires a day, triggered by electricity, cigarettes, stoves and negligence. Fires cause death, material losses and trigger social problems. At present, there is no preemptive solution that can effectively prevent fires in the capital city.
The latest incident was a fire that gutted a house and 11 kiosks on Jl Pedongkelan Raya, Cengkareng in West Jakarta. The fire flared on Thursday (1/2) at around 9 p.m. and lasted until Friday (2/2). The cause is still unknown. A family in the house, husband Gunawan, 80; wife Lani, 75, and their children Edy, 40, and Cencen, 38, were killed.
Thio, chairman of the neighborhood RT 009, the site of the fire, said a fire truck arrived at the location not long after the fire grew bigger. They fought the fire for three hours. Cengkareng Firefighting Unit head Tri Marjono said the investigation could take one month. “The key witnesses were killed,” Tri said.
Around 4 p.m. yesterday, police members told people to stay away from the site. Members of the National Police fingerprint identification force Inafis helped investigate the case.
From the scene, it was known the two-story house had only one point of access and was surrounded by walls and kiosks.
Thio said the neighborhood had never received information about the danger of fire and emergency situations. “Residents try to look for information about fire fighting by themselves,” he said.
Leni, 23, a resident living in one of the kiosks, said there was a light fire extinguisher at the kiosk. But, the incident was too quick and she was afraid to take the equipment.
The incident took place less than a week after a big fire that burned down 268 houses on Jl Talib II and Jl Talib III in Krukut, Tamansari, West Jakarta, on Saturday (27/1). The fire was triggered by S, 35, who set his own house on fire. It quickly burned other houses. Now, residents live in tents with no clear future.
More firefighting posts
Agency data shows that during 2017 there were 1,226 cases of fire, increasing from 1,047 cases in 2016. In 2015, there were 1,642 fires. More than 70 percent of the fires were caused by electrical faults. The two other biggest causes were cigarettes and stoves. The trigger of the remaining cases was not known.
Agency head Subejo said his office had informed people about the proper use of electricity. Yet, fires continue to happen. People, especially those living in crowded housing, have lower awareness on the safe and proper use of electricity.
On the other hand, the monitoring of electricity use in housing complexes and business areas by state electricity firm PLN and Indonesian Mechanical and Electricity Contractors Association has not been run optimally.
To deal with the repeated incidents, the agency plans to increase interactions with the public. They will be involved in firefighting activities at firefighting posts at the district level. Nearby residents will be recruited.
“Next year, we plan to add more firefighting posts at the sub-district level,” Subejo said.
For this year, additional posts will be made at the district level. There will be three to five new posts. Next year, the fire office will add some firefighting vehicles.
