At least 11 people, including six children, have died in a major fire in Indonesia’s eastern Papua region, with around 40 shops and homes destroyed in the blaze.
The fire broke out around midnight on Monday in Paniai, in Central Papua province, and quickly spread through nearby commercial premises and residential buildings. The area was densely populated, with shops and houses situated close together, allowing the flames to move rapidly from one structure to another.
Local police spokesman Henry J. Manurung said firefighters used fire engines and water cannons to tackle the blaze. Despite the emergency response, it took more than three hours to bring the fire under control.
Once the flames had been extinguished, emergency teams searched the affected area for casualties and survivors. Eleven bodies were recovered from the scene, according to police. Five of those killed were adults, while six were children aged between two and nine.
The loss of so many children has added to the severity of the tragedy. The circumstances in which the victims became trapped have not been fully detailed, but the rapid spread of the fire in the closely packed neighbourhood appears to have made rescue efforts particularly difficult.
The blaze also caused extensive damage to the local market and surrounding properties. At least 40 shops and houses were reported to have been destroyed, leaving a significant number of premises severely affected. Authorities have yet to provide a full assessment of the financial losses or the number of families displaced by the incident.
Investigators have begun examining the circumstances surrounding the fire. Its exact cause remains unknown, and authorities have not yet indicated whether it may have been linked to an electrical fault, cooking equipment or another source. Further findings are expected as the investigation progresses.
Fire-related disasters have previously caused substantial loss of life in Indonesia, particularly in densely populated areas where buildings are situated close together and fires can spread quickly. The latest incident has once again highlighted the challenges faced by emergency services when responding to fires in crowded commercial and residential neighbourhoods.
The tragedy also follows another deadly fire in Indonesia last December, when 22 people were killed in a blaze at a seven-storey office building in Central Jakarta. The latest deaths in Papua are likely to renew attention on fire prevention, emergency access and the availability of effective firefighting and evacuation facilities in densely populated areas.
