Firefighters tackle blaze outside Asiad venue
A large blaze broke out right next to the Asian Games site in the Indonesian city of Palembang on
to prevent clouds of smoke affecting competition events.
Helicopters scooped up water to
- ers on the ground helped extinguish the blaze, as athletes competed close by in shooting and beach volleyball. Chinese shooter Wang Xiaojing, 26, told
- ing the bronze medal with teammate Yu Du.
A southerly wind helped prevent too much embarrassment for organizers of the world’s second- biggest multi- sport event, blowing the smoke away from the athletes.
South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin said at the scene that he was “100
mar the regional Olympics, adding that
deployed in less than 15 minutes.
Palembang is one of two host cities of the Asian Games, along with Jakarta. A couple of buildings housing some of the sport stars directly overlooked the blaze.
The threat of haze has been a particu-
and pollution common in the country during peak hot season.
The conflagration came on the same day that environmental activists scaled a huge billboard in central Jakarta to get their anti- pollution message across.
Greenpeace members covered it with a mural showing a person wearing a gas mask
It also displayed the number 152 — the day’s air-quality index reading for the
Anything over 150 is considered a health threat to the general population.
“The government must find a real solution because we are in the spotlight as the organizer of Asia’s biggest sports
- paigner Bondan Andriyanu.
from 45 Asian countries — along with hordes of sports-crazy tourists — are in Jakarta and Palembang for the Asian sporting extravaganza, which runs until September 2.