TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of National Commission on Child Protection (Komnas PA) Seto Mulyadi said the fire that occurred in the office of the National Commission on Child Protection was not prompted by a gas explosion or short circuit. Witnesses say the fire started by an extemely loud bang coming from the roof of the building.
“A witness said there was an explosion and like it was thrown by a firecracker,” Seto told Tempo on Sunday, June 28.
Seto said the fire started at 20:11pm Saturday, June 27, and firefighters managed to extinguish it around 10pm. Damages have not been accounted for. Seto claimed that all the datas and file complaints received by the National Commission on Child Protection was scorched.
Chairman of the National Commission on Child Protection Arist Merdeka Sirait said: “This was not an accident caused by stove explosion or short circuit,” he said in T.B. Simatupang on Sunday, June 28.
The fire engulfed one of the buildings in the east side of the building. Four rooms including the office of the secretary general, the archive room, the social ministry employee office and guest room were all scorched.
Arist believe that if the fire was caused by a stove explosion of short circuit, the fire would not originate from the roof. “The fire quickly enlarged,” said Arist.
The only part of the building that still remains is the auditorium and half of the east side office.
Authorities have yet conducted a crime scene investigation as forensics team from the National Police Headquarter and East Jakarta Police Department have visited the scene on Sunday afternoon but was postponed for schedule until Monday, June 29.
MAYA NAWANGWULAN | RAYMUNDUS RIKANG