A fire destroyed more than 150 homes in Indonesia today (October 30. Flames ripped through the densely populated residential area in Kotabaru District, South Kalimantan province shortly after 2:30 am.

The head of the Kotabaru Disaster Management Agency, Rusian Ahmad Jaya, said the fire broke out while the majority of residents were sleeping.

He said: "The fire started in the settlement on Patramaga street. The fire spread quickly because the houses were close together and there were still many houses made of wood."

Panicked residents rushed out of the homes and tried to extinguish the fire with makeshift equipment before firefighters arrived. The firefighters took six hours to put out the fire.

Rusian said: "The fire quickly spread also due to the strong wind. There were no casualties in this incident."

Officials said that more than 500 residents were evacuated.

Disaster management officers have built public kitchens and evacuation tents.