JAKARTA (Jakarta Post/ANN): A fire tore through Jakarta’s largest wholesale market, Kramat Jati, in East Jakarta, on Monday morning, destroying hundreds of stalls and prompting Governor Pramono Anung to order a thorough investigation amid renewed scrutiny of the capital’s fire-safety standards.
The blaze reportedly broke out at around 7:30am at a shop selling plastic goods and ropes and spread rapidly to surrounding kiosks, most of which were built with semi-permanent materials at Jakarta’s largest wholesale market, according to Tempo.
Strong winds at the time of the incident accelerated the fire’s spread. Vendors and nearby residents fled in panic as thick smoke billowed across the market complex, serving as Jakarta’s main hub for fruit and vegetable distribution, with at least two explosions reportedly heard.
Nineteen fire trucks and around 80 personnel from the Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency (Gulkarmat) were deployed to the scene, with police assisting evacuations and traffic control and medical teams placed on standby. Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control within an hour.
The Jakarta Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) said preliminary findings pointed to an electrical short circuit as the likely cause of the fire.
While no fatalities or injuries were reported, the blaze caused damage estimated at Rp 500 million (US$30,000), with city-owned market operator Pasar Jaya reporting at least 350 stalls damaged.
To support recovery efforts, Chicco Hakim, a special staffer at the Jakarta gubernatorial office, said the city administration would form a joint investigative team involving relevant agencies to determine the exact cause of the fire and prevent similar incidents in the future.
“In the meantime, [the city administration will provide] temporary assistance, including relocating affected vendors and distributing emergency supplies,” Chicco said in a statement on Monday.
“We extend our full solidarity to all affected traders and local residents, and we are committed to restoring activities [at Kramat Jati] as soon as possible.”
The Kramat Jati blaze marks the third major fire in Jakarta within the past week.
On Dec. 9, a deadly inferno swept through a seven-story commercial building in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, killing 22 people. That same day, another fire broke out in Kembangan, West Jakarta, destroying six buildings, including kiosks and rented homes, and displacing five families.
Earlier this year, on July 28, a massive fire engulfed South Jakarta’s Taman Puring Market, destroying at least 552 stalls in one of the capital’s worst market fires in recent years.
The string of incidents has again highlighted Jakarta’s chronic fire-safety problems. A sweeping inspection by the fire agency last year found that nearly 700 of the 2,609 buildings examined failed to meet fire-protection standards, including 361 high-rise buildings of eight floors or more and 333 low-rise structures. -- JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
