Head of Bukittinggi Disaster Mitigation Agency Zulfider said in Bukittinggi on Monday the houses which caught fire were located only some tens of meters behind the house where Indonesia`s first Vice President Mohammad Hatta was born.
"The fire may have broken out from the home of Agus and spread to other houses," he said.
He said when the fire broke out, the owners of the houses were not at home.
The police is still trying to determine the cause of the fire, which did not caused any fatality, but caused hundreds of millions of rupiah in material loss.
He added the flames had been put out at 6.45 pm after the Bukittinggi fire department mobilized five fire engines and the local drinking water company one.
"The ill-fated area is densely populated, but a close cooperation between the fire men and the local population eventually managed to put out the fire at 6.45 pm local time," he said.
He said the fire victims had been given temporary shelter at their relatives and families.
(H-NG)
Editor: Ella Syafputri
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