Fire rips through maritime museum in Indonesian capital

A fire ripped through a 17th century Dutch colonial building that houses a maritime museum in the Indonesian capital, causing extensive damage to its historical collections. (Pixabay photo)

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A fire ripped through a 17th century Dutch colonial building that houses a maritime museum in the Indonesian capital, causing extensive damage to its historical collections.

Museum head Husni Zon Nizar said Tuesday there were no casualties from the fire that swept through one of the museum’s three historic buildings.

He said the blaze destroyed models of Dutch East India Company ships, traditional Indonesian vessels and a newly installed diorama showing the history of World War II in the Java Sea.

It was the second building calamity to hit Jakarta in two days. On Monday, a mezzanine floor in the Indonesian stock exchange tower collapsed, injuring nearly 80 people.

Safety laws are often inconsistently enforced or even completely ignored in Indonesia.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.