Jakarta, IO – Several residents collect debris from a fire in a densely populated informal settlement in Manggarai, South Jakarta, Tuesday (13/8). In the incident, hundreds of houses in 12 community units (RT) were burned down, causing around 3,000 residents to lose their homes.
The South Jakarta Fire Agency (Gulkarmat) suspects that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit when a cellphone was being charged in one of the residents’ homes. 35 fire engines and 123 personnel have been deployed to the scene to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading further.
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In this 2.7-hectare area, hundreds of houses have been razed to the ground, leaving only fragile walls. Meanwhile, several residents have begun to return to the location to look for items that can still be salvaged from the charred rubble.
Residents who lost their homes are now being sheltered in the nearby Manggarai station. There they have to survive with minimal assistance.
(IO/Faisal Ramadhan)