O

ver 1,500 traders have had their businesses wiped out after a fire razed Babadan traditional market on Jl. Jendral Sudirman, West Ungaran district in Semarang regency, Central Java.

The fire, which started on Wednesday night and continued until the early hours of Thursday morning, destroyed 191 kiosks and 720 stalls.

So far no fatalities have been reported in the accident but the financial cost is predicted to reach billions of rupiah.

The fire is believed to have been caused by electrical short circuit.

A number of eyewitnesses said the fire originated in a staple foods kiosk in the middle of the market at around 9 p.m.

'€œA sate seller, Niah, who operated on the north side of the market, said she saw the fire start in the middle of the market,'€ Semarang Regency Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agustinus Berlianto told reporters on Thursday.

Babadan Market head Budi Mulyono said the fire had burned down all the kiosks and stalls in the market.

A number of fire trucks from the Semarang regency administration and from the neighboring Semarang city and Salatiga city administrations as well as from a number of local businesses including PT Coca Cola, PT Apac Inti Corpora and Batamtex finally brought the fire under control at about 3 a.m.

Semarang Regent Mundjirin said his office would look for a temporary place for Babadan market traders to conduct their business.

Wednesday'€™s fire in Babadan market, which is located on the east side of the highway connecting Semarang and Bawen, some 15 kilometers to the south of Semarang city, caused extensive traffic disruption with tailbacks three kilometers long on the main road connecting Semarang with Surakarta and Yogyakarta.

Babadan is the third market in Semarang regency to have been destroyed by fire since 2007.