(Jakarta, 1st Comprehensive Report) A high-rise Pullman Hotel in West Jakarta, Indonesia, caught fire on Saturday morning. The fire department dispatched 14 fire trucks and 70 firefighters to the scene, successfully bringing the fire under control within about 20 minutes. The police have launched a forensic investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
The fire was reported to have started at around 7:54 a.m. local time. When hotel security noticed thick smoke emerging near the high-rise emergency staircase, they immediately attempted to extinguish the fire with handheld extinguishers but were unable to control the blaze. They then urgently notified the fire department.
Saiful Kahfi, Head of the West Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency, stated that firefighters had the blaze under control by around 8:15 a.m. Cooling operations are currently ongoing to ensure there are no remaining hotspots at the scene.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit on a lower floor of the hotel.
Reza Aditya, Chief Commissioner of the Grogol-Petamburan Police, said that police have sent Indonesian Automated Fingerprint Identification System forensic personnel and national forensic experts to the scene to determine the real cause and origin of the fire.
So far, authorities have reported that there were no casualties in the incident and there is currently no estimate for the extent of property damage. The investigation is still ongoing.