A fire gutted several houses in a residential area in Central Kalimantan province, killing three children and seriously injuring their mother, local media reports said Saturday, according to dpa. The fire broke out at about 11 pm on Friday in Banjarmasin, the capital of Central Kalimantan province on the Indonesian portion of Borneo island, the state-run Antara news agency reported. At least six homes were gutted by the blaze, which was allegedly caused by an anti-mosquito repellent in one of the gutted houses. Firefighters failed to immediately extinguish the fire because their firetrucks were unable to pass through the narrow street. Three children, including a 3-year-old girl, were burned to death, while their 33-year-old mother, identified as Sabtiningsih, was hospitalized with serious burn. The four were asleep when the fire ravaged their home. The children's father Juliansyah escaped injury because he was out at the time. Local police authorities were investigating the case.
