International Desk || At least 11 people, including six children, were killed in a devastating fire in Indonesia’s eastern Papua region, while around 40 shops and houses were destroyed.The fire broke out around midnight on Monday in Paniai town in Central Papua province. It quickly spread to nearby shops and residential buildings.Local police spokesperson Henry J Manurung said firefighters used fire engines and water cannons to tackle the blaze, but it took more than three hours to bring the fire under control.Police later recovered the charred bodies of 11 victims from the scene. Five of the deceased were adults, while the other six were children aged between two and nine.Manurung said the fire spread rapidly because the area was densely populated, with houses and shops located close to one another.Authorities have launched an investigation to determine how the fire started. The exact cause of the blaze has not yet been established.Indonesia has experienced several deadly fires and industrial accidents in recent years. In December last year, 22 people were killed in a fire at a seven-storey office building in Central Jakarta. Source: Gulf News