Fire burns up Jokowi's furniture factory

SRAGEN. Fire destroyed parts of a furniture factory owned by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at the Kalijambe Industrial Zone in Sragen regency, Central Java, on Tuesday.

The fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon at around 4:30 p.m. Several witnesses said the fire broke out from a wood-drying oven. No casualties were reported in the incident.

"The fire was first seen on the roof of the oven room and then it quickly spread to other sides of the factory. Workers panicked and they tried to put out the fire with fire extinguishers but the fire was too big," said Agus Santoso, a witness to the event.

Security officers at the factory asked everybody to evacuate and called in the fire department. More than 10 fire trucks were deployed to extinguish the fire.

Surakarta Police also deployed a water cannon car to help extinguish the fire as the fire trucks were initially overwhelmed by the spread of the fire.

As of today, two out of five buildings at the factory have been damaged. The fire fighters worked until the evening.

Sragen Police chief Adj. Sr. Cmr. Ari Wibowo said once the fire was under control, the police would conduct an investigation to ascertain the cause of the incident.

Before joining politics and becoming mayor of Surakarta, Jokowi ran a successful furniture business and exported products overseas. (Ganug Nugroho Adi)