Dozens of houses in a densely populated area on Jalan Swadaya, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, caught fire on Sunday night, August 29, 2021. Dozens of fire engines were deployed to extinguish the fire.

"At around 18.15 WIB, we received reports of a fire on Jalan Swadaya, Kebon Blank, Kemayoran," said Head of the Central Jakarta Fire and Rescue (Gulkarmat) Sub-dept. Asril Rizal on Sunday, August 29, 2021.


Officers had difficulty extinguishing the fire because the location of the fire was in a narrow alley and densely populated. The fire was finally extinguished after officers struggled for about an hour.

He said the cause of the fire was still being investigated. The fire is believed to have originated from an electrical short circuit in one of the houses.

One of the victims of the fire, Hermanto, said the fire was spreading fast. He even said the residents had panicked.

"I came home from work, was about to pray for a bath, suddenly heard people shouting 'fire, fire'. When I looked outside, the fire was already big," said Hermanto.