A massive fire broke out at the Basilea Convention Center in Gading Serpong, Tangerang regency this morning, burning down the building that also houses a local church.
The incident has been confirmed by Kosrudin, who heads the emergency and logistics department in Tangerang Regency’s Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Tangerang).
“We suspect that early in the morning like this and no activities, [the fire] was probably caused by electrical [short circuit],” Kosrudin told Kompas today.
Footage of the massive blaze circulated online this morning.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_d2QPCBS_K/
Five fire trucks from Tangerang regency and Tangerang Selatan city were reportedly dispatched to put out the fire.
In a statement posted on Instagram, the church said the fire started at around 7am and was contained by 11:30am. They confirmed that there were no casualties in the incident and said that authorities are looking into what caused the fire.
Pagedangan Police Chief Efri was reportedly injured while inspecting the scene during the fire cooling process carried out by the firefighters. Kosrudin said Efri gashed his head when he slipped and fell on the stairs, and has been treated at a hospital nearby.
In addition, a security officer reportedly fainted after inhaling smoke from the fire as he was trapped inside the building. Kosrudin said he was rescued by other officers and taken to the nearest hospital for medical treatment.
Christ Cathedral is a part of the Indonesia Bethel Church (GBI) denomination, a group of Christian Pentecostal churches in Indonesia.
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