"I don`t know where the fire originated from. The fire spread so quickly that it gutted tens of homes in the 15 neighborhood association (RT) 15. Luckily, it did not burn my house as firefighters swiftly blockaded it," Arman, a local resident, said.
Strong winds helped the fire spread quickly to other buildings.
Firefighters had difficulty putting out the blaze as most of the buildings were made of wood. The narrow path leading up to the scene also acted as an impediment.
Voluntary firefighter Abidin said the fire had gutted tens if not hundreds of homes and affected more than one neighborhood association (RT) on the Abdul Hasan Street in Pasar Pagi, Samarinda.
"The fire spread to not only RT 15 and RT 10, but also other RTs. Judging by the extent of damage, hundreds of houses could have been gutted," he added.
The fire also destroyed a small mosque.
"We cannot yet establish the cause of the fire as we still have to find witnesses," Snr. Comr. Anthonius Wisnu Sutirta, the chief of the Samarinda city police, revealed.
Numerous police and military personnel were rushed to the scene to help the firefighters extinguish the blaze.
Some small fires were still seen evident on the scene till 03:00 a.m.
Reporting by Amirrulah
(S012/INE/a014)
EDITED BY INE
(KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
