20171010 Fire ravages traditional houses in Tarung
Indonesia Oct 10 2017 “Other”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 30 to 69 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Fire ravages traditional houses in Tarung
Updated: 2017-10-10 12:42
Thirty traditional houses in Tarung customary village in West Sumba regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), were destroyed in a fire on Saturday.
“The fire spread very fast and burned all 30 houses and their property. Fortunately there were no fatalities, only material losses,” West Sumba Police chief Adj. Comr. Muhamad Erwin told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Erwin said the police were still investigating what caused the fire, but they had ruled out the possibility of it being triggered by an arsonist.
“We are still calculating the material loss,” he said.
West Sumba regent Agustinus Niga Dapawole held an emergency response meeting at his office on Monday to discuss mitigation measures.
He called on the people to help provide humanitarian assistance to the victims.
The regency administration has erected emergency tents and distributed rice, instant noodles, tarpaulins and bottled water to the victims.
Tarung customary village is located in Waikabubak City, the capital of West Sumba regency. It is believed that the village is home to Sumba’s first ancestor, Sudi Wonanyoba and his partner, Tarung.
Even though it is located in the middle of a city, the village has retained its idyllic scenery as it is filled with centuries-old Banyan trees.
All the buildings in the village were built using local materials such as bamboo, wood and weeds, which became the main materials for the traditional houses there.
There are more than a hundred houses on stilts that are home to more than 400 families.
A 225-square-meter house is usually inhabited by three to four families. The total number of residents in Tarung customary village is more than 1,500.
The houses were built surrounding the peak of a hill. There is a courtyard in the middle of the village. As many as 17 stone tombs were laid at the east corner of the courtyard.
Web Source: The Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/10/fire-ravages-traditional-houses-tarung.html