A man sits in front of his burnt house in an area devastated by a fire in Jakarta on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. - AFP
JAKARTA (Bernama-Xinhua): More than 600 families in the Indonesian city of Jakarta were forced to evacuate after a blaze destroyed over 500 houses in Kemayoran sub-district of Central Jakarta early Tuesday.
No casualties were reported in the incident. Evacuees are currently taking shelter in nearby worship places, according to the city's disaster mitigation agency spokesperson Mohamad Yohan.
"Quite a lot of logistics are needed," Yohan said, adding that the city administration has distributed instant meals, blankets and bottled water to assist those affected.
It took around six hours for approximately 170 firefighters and 34 fire engines to extinguish the fire.
Central Jakarta Police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro said officers suspect a short circuit in one of the houses may have caused the fire.
"However, this is only a preliminary assumption. We will conduct a thorough investigation in collaboration with the National Police's Forensic Laboratory Centre to determine the exact cause of the fire," he said.
Certain roads were temporarily closed to facilitate the evacuation process, Condro added. - Bernama-Xinhua
