Jakarta administration to seal off fire-prone high-rises

The Jakarta Post,  Jakarta  |  Sun, 03/01/2009 9:45 PM   |  Jakarta

 

The Jakarta fire department said Sunday it would seal off high-rise buildings that failed to comply with municipal fire safety standards.

 

“We have warned [the building owners] before. We will seal off their buildings if they still fail to meet our fire safety requirements,” agency head Paimin Napitupulu told beritajakarta.com.

 

Under existing regulations, a high-rise must have fire safety equipment, like a water hydrant, emergency stairs and fire extinguishers. However, 44 percent of 1,400 high-rise buildings in Jakarta currently fall short of that standard, Paimin said.

 

The agency recorded 90 fires in the first two months of 2009.