Police Detain 3 Over Medan's Deadly Karaoke Club Fire

Indonesian police said on Sunday they have detained three men suspected of causing a karaoke club fire that killed 20 people in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province.

The blaze broke out late Friday in the third-floor club, part of the larger M City entertainment complex in the provincial city of Medan. It spread quickly to other floors and raged for an hour.

“Based on eyewitnesses’ accounts, the men were working in the club’s lounge to apply wallpaper and carpet. The fire broke out when one of them used a lighter to remove the carpet’s excess materials,” provincial police chief detective Agus Andrianto told AFP.

“They should have been aware that such action was dangerous as there were flammable materials around them,” he said.

Adrianto said the men could face a jail term of five years or more for criminal negligence that caused a loss of life.

Most of the victims reportedly died of smoke inhalation.

Medan Fire Department fireman Jim Siregar said a lack of safety standards in the building hampered the rescue effort. At least 100 visitors and 40 employees were inside the building at the time of fire.

Deadly fires are common in Asia due to the routine flouting or ignorance of fire and safety measures.

A blaze at a packed club in Bangkok’s popular Ekkamai district broke out just after midnight on January 1, killing 64 people.

AFP

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