Lit Candles Turn into Disaster

· 4 minutes read

The dark night, the result of the prolonged power outage on Sunday (4/8/2019), turned into a frightening experience for the residents of Jl. Menteng Atas 3 in Setiabudi, South Jakarta. A fire that was believed to have started from lit candles raced up the curtains and razed through the house belonging to Suwarti, 48.

The fire then spread to 50 semi-permanent houses behind the Menteng Pulo Chinese cemetery, near the Casablanca luxury apartment complex. A rocky, unpaved road that went through the cemetery was the only way to reach the site of the fire.

The fire spread further on Monday (5/8/2019) to raze other plywood-walled houses in the area. Refrigerators, washing machines, stoves and documents that could be salvaged were taken to an evacuation center. Those who had been displaced by the fire looked tired, as they did not sleep well.
KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO
President Joko Widodo (third right), accompanied by (from right) Communication and Informatics Minister Rudiantara, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung and Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, leads a meeting on Monday (5/8/2019) at PT PLN headquarters in Jakarta. The President asked for an explanation from the acting managing director of the state electricity company, Sripeni Inten Cahyani (far left), regarding the major power outage that hit Jakarta, Banten, Central Java and parts of West Java on Sunday.
Asnah, 66, sat on Monday afternoon in an emergency tent provided by the Jakarta Social Affairs Agency. She only had time to save schoolbooks, a laptop that belonged to a grandchild and some bonds.
Asnah\'s daughter, Suwarti “Yayang”, was killed in the fire. Yayang was killed when she tried to escape the blaze by jumping onto a neighbor\'s balcony. Unfortunately, the fire spread to the balcony, where the laundry had been hung out to dry.
KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO
A stalled Commuter Line train stands just before a station platform at 10:04 a.m. on Monday (5/8/2019) in Serpong, Tangerang, Banten. Commuter Line train services resumed in stages, following the massive power outage that hit the capital and surrounding areas on Sunday.
"I saw Yayang jumping onto the balcony across the house. She shouted for help, but we couldn\'t do anything. The fire had spread," said Asnah.
That night on Sunday was dark and hot, said Asnah, because of the massive power outage in Jabodetabek (Greater Jakarta). The residents had difficulty finding clean water to wash their faces and perform ablutions, as their water was pumped from groundwater wells. Without electricity, the pumps do not work.
KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO
President Joko Widodo (second right), accompanied by (right) Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan and PT PLN acting managing director Sripeni Inten Cahyani, leaves PLN’s Jakarta headquarters on Monday (5/8/2019). The President visited the state electricity company to demand a direct explanation regarding the massive power outage that hit Jakarta, Banten, Central Java and parts of West Java on Sunday.
As night fell, the residents looked for ways to light their homes. Some used flashlights or emergency lights, while most used candles. Candles became hard to obtain because the stocks had sold out. At around 8:34 p.m., the curtains in Suwarti\'s house caught fire from a lit candle and spread through her house to nearby houses.
"[It happened] At a time when people were tired from the heat. Just as they were going to bed, suddenly there were screams [of] ‘Fire! Fire!” said local resident Ridwan.
Fourteen fire trucks were dispatched to extinguish the fire. The hoses had to pass through a narrow and twisting alley to reach the fire. A suitable water supply could not be located, as the water pumps in the neighborhood were not working because of the power outage.
KOMPAS/LASTI KURNIA
Students of a private elementary school get ready to go home early during the power blackout on Monday (5/8/2019) in Kebun Jeruk, Jakarta. The school sent its students home early, as PLN’s planned rationing following Sunday’s massive outage disrupted the water supply to the school’s toilets and the electricity supply to classrooms.
Around 90 households consisting of 350 people were evacuated to an open field near the Menteng Pulo Chinese cemetery. They are staying in makeshift tents provided by the Jakarta Social Affairs Agency and the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Six people killed
Forty fires occurred in Jakarta from Sunday to Monday, a huge jump from the daily average of fires in the capital.
Jakarta Fire and Rescue Service head Subejo said that 40 percent of the fires were caused by short circuits, 27.5 percent from lit candles, and 25 percent from burning garbage. The fires occurred in residential structures (45 percent), external installations (17.5 percent) and garbage piles (17.5 percent).
KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN
Ninth-grade teacher Kurnia Sari completes a daily report in her darkened classroom at the Tsanawiyah Annajah madrassa on Monday (5/8/2019) in Petukangan, Jakarta. The school sent its students home early, as PLN’s planned rationing following Sunday’s massive outage disrupted the school’s water and electricity supply.
Jakarta Metro Police public relations head Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said that at least 19 fires occurred in its jurisdiction from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning, mostly in residential houses.
Aside from Menteng Pulo, another fire blazed through a three-story shop house in Teluk Gong of Pejagalan, North Jakarta. Tony, 45, his wife Jeny Ruslan, 44, and their two children, Erica Wisely, 17, and Kent Wisely, 8, were killed in the incident. The fire started around midnight, allegedly due to a short circuit.
In Tangerang municipality, a store on Jl. Mas Mansyur that also sold gasoline and gas caught fire in Gondrong Udik, Cipondoh. The fire started from a candle that was placed in a window near the gasoline display. Shopkeeper Sopian, 25, suffered burns while his wife Sakinah, 25, was killed.
Kompas
A policeman directs traffic on Sunday (4/8/2019) at the Arion intersection in East Jakarta. The major power outage on Sunday and PLN’s planned rationing on Monday disrupted public transportation and economic activities for millions of residents in Jakarta and surrounding areas.
Jabodetabek residents experienced prolonged blackouts from Sunday’s massive power outage, and many residents are not aware of how to act safely during such disasters. Six lives have been lost. It is too high a cost and should not reoccur. (DEA/JOG/WAD/PIN/AYU/BOW/GIO)

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