Traders blame fire on arson

The Jakarta Post, Mon August 24 2015


raders at the seven-story Medan Plaza Center in Medan, North Sumatra, have expressed their disappointment over the slow response of the building operator in handling a recent massive fire that destroyed the oldest shopping mall in the city, throwing an allegation of possible arson behind the incident.

Edi, who owns a cellular phone shop on the building’s first floor, said such an allegation had emerged after traders had learned that the hydrant near the initial fire spot was not functioning. Traders, according to Edi, also did not receive direct information from building management at the time the fire broke out on early Saturday. “Another trader contacted me about the fire at 6 a.m. on Saturday, or four hours after the fire broke out. I rushed to the building only to find my shop had burned down,” Edi said.

Ade, a firefighter from the Medan municipal administration, confirmed that he and other firefighters had been unable to access water from a hydrant located on the left side of the building, where the fire started. “The fire came from the left side of the building, but the hydrant did not work. However, the one on the right side of the building did work,” he said.



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