A massive fire at a seven-storey building in Jakarta, Indonesia, has left 20 people dead – including five men and 15 women – Central Jakarta police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro told AFP, adding that one of the victims was a pregnant woman. Videos circulating on social media showed flames engulfing a building in central Jakarta as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.
Initial investigations indicate that the fire started after a battery exploded on the first floor of the office building. According to local Kompas television, the fire has been extinguished but evacuation efforts are continuing as several people are believed to be trapped inside the building.
Susatyo said most of the victims did not appear to have burns and likely died of suffocation. He added that the bodies were taken to the police hospital for autopsy.
The fire also caused chaos among residents and workers in the surrounding Central Jakarta neighborhood. According to Kompas TV, the fire has been brought under control, although evacuation efforts are continuing as several people are believed to be trapped inside.
Local reports said the affected building houses the offices of Terra Drone Indonesia, which supplies aerial survey drones across sectors from mining to agriculture.
In an interview with Kompas TV, Jakarta Capital Police Chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro explained that the fire started on the first floor, prompting staff to try to put it out.
“There was a battery on the first floor that caught fire, then the employee managed to put it out, then it turned out that the burning battery had spread because the first floor is one of the warehouses,” she quoted him as saying.
Susatyo said the flames quickly intensified and the smoke reached the sixth floor. He added that the bodies of all the deceased victims found at the scene have been taken to the Kramat Jati Police Hospital for identification.
