Lenny Tristia Tambun & Fana FS Putra – Public ignorance and poor urban planning are among the factors that have been blamed for the 712 blazes Jakarta's fire department has recorded over the past nine months.
The fires, which have resulted in financial losses totaling Rp 174 billion ($15 million), have been met with a new proposal to install more fire extinguishers throughout the city.
Additionally, in order to reduce the number of blazes, the city fire prevention unit has been attempting to educate the public on fire safety and hazards, yet the "public's awareness remains low," Jakarta Fire and Disaster Mitigation Agency head Subejo said on Thursday.
He said Jakarta residents should be careful when using electrical and home appliances, especially during the dry season, when fires can spread more easily. Most fires, he said, were caused by short circuits and usually happened in densely occupied neighborhoods where homes were made of plywood.
Nirwono Joga, an analyst on city spatial planning blamed the high number of fire incidents on the city administration's lack of seriousness in addressing the issue and for messy urban spatial management.
Nirwono said the city administration and the Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) are yet to deliberate on a bill that will discuss detailed spatial planning (RDTR), a reference for all development plans in the capital.
"The main problem with Jakarta's fires is that the city administration is not serious about cutting the fire chain. It's also still not clear how the RDTR would look. That's why there are so many slum areas in the capital," he said on Thursday.
Nirwono recalled how Kelapa Gading was ravaged by fires in 2002 but nothing was done to prevent a repeat of the disaster and as a result the area was in flames once again several years later.
He condemned the administration for allowing developers to build residences in the area despite the fact that the neighborhood had been reserved as a green area.
The analyst called on the city administration to take swift action and turn the slum area in Kelapa Gading into an open green area, and to relocate the residents to decent apartments.
Nirwono also pointed out that Jakarta still does not have a map on areas vulnerable to fires and the condition has become worse due to a number of illegal buildings that are emerging rampantly, which ignore the city's spatial planning.
In 2012, the city's fire and disaster mitigation agency recorded 1,008 fire cases across Jakarta, up 6 percent from 2011. At least 30 people died from fires last year, compared to just 18 in 2011.
The fire department said the blazes had caused an estimated Rp 290 billion in losses in 2012, compared to Rp 217 billion in the previous year.
Electrical short circuits accounted for 663 cases, followed by exploding stoves, which accounted for 46 cases in 2012. Cigarettes and cars catching fire were among the other causes noted.
Meanwhile a Sept. 4 fire, which broke out at a house in the Kampung Tipar neighborhood of Duren Sawit subdistrict and spread to a neighboring property, was blamed on a faulty cellphone charger.
The incident bore a striking resemblance to an August 2012 incident where a huge blaze spread over 400 homes in the densely occupied neighborhood of Kampung Kalimati in Central Jakarta. Paimin Napitupulu, the city fire chief at the time, said the cause of the fire was a cellphone that exploded while being charged.
Similar incidents involving faulty cell-phone chargers also occurred that same year, with several houses destroyed due to the intensity of the fires.
In attempt to keep the blazes at bay, city administrators announced a plan on Tuesday to install more fire extinguishers in densely populated areas following the latest string of fires in the capital which claimed dozens of lives recently.
"Right now we are still in the middle of the auction process," Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo said at City Hall, referring to the ongoing search for qualified contractors to provide the equipment.
Joko said the auction process might take time due to the lengthy procedures to be followed. "There are many auctions, we are not like the private sector, which can immediately pay for the devices," he said.
Joko noted the fires that had flared up throughout Jakarta in recent weeks were often caused by electrical short circuits and poor public awareness about the use of electrical appliances.
Agung Laksono, the coordinating minister for people's welfare, demanded that the city administration prioritize the improvement of electrical wiring throughout the capital, particularly in densely occupied neighborhoods.
He said the repairs could be made using funds from the central government or through the National Program for People's Empowerment (PNPM).