JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — The Swalow brand sandal factory at Kamal Raya 34 street, Kalideres, West Jakarta, has been on fire since Thursday. As reported on Friday morning, 7 am, the conflagration has not been completely under control yet despite the 21 fireengines that have been deployed there by the West Jakarta fire brigade. The fire has been flaring for over 15 hours.
According to the West Jakarta fire brigade, Thursday, the fire on the Swalow brand sandal factory and warehouse started on Thursday afternoon, around 3.25 pm. The conflagration has been very difficult to douse because of the piles of manufacturing materials for sandals, such as rubber and glue.
Details about the cause of fire, losses, and casualties still can't be obtained. "From the radio reports, there's been no life casualty so far," stated the fireman. Reported though, at least 10 people are still trapped inside.
There has been no news whether they've managed to escape or not. By Friday morning, some people have come to look for their family members who work in the factory and are suspected to be trapped inside.
Another fireman from the West Jakarta firebrigade, Sulaiman, stated on Friday morning, around 7 am, that actually the fire was already at a manageable level. "It's just the cooling off phase." The fire has subsided by far, but smoke was still billowing. Besides the 21 fireengines already on the site, more are still coming from other areas. (MSH/C17-09)
