Jakarta Office Fire Kills 22 Amid Fears Of Poor Workplace Safety In Indonesia

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (Worthy News) – Indonesia’s capital was plunged into mourning late Tuesday after at least 22 people, including a pregnant woman, were confirmed dead when a massive fire swept through a seven-story office building in central Jakarta.

Flames and thick black smoke billowed over the Kemayoran neighborhood as hundreds of firefighters rushed to contain the blaze, which broke out around midday on the first floor of a building used by Terra Drone Indonesia, a company specializing in drone sales, storage, and testing. It comes at a time when much of Indonesia is still recovering from another tragedy: massive flooding has killed at least over 900 people on Sumatra island, with many remaining missing.

Central Jakarta police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro said the inferno is believed to have started when a battery sparked in a storage and testing area, rapidly spreading to other floors. Many workers had left for lunch, but others were trapped inside as smoke filled the stairwells, according to witnesses.

“It started with a loud bang,” recalled Intan Puspita, a nearby resident. “Workers were running outside, and I heard that a battery short-circuited during charging.”

She described seeing victims being carried out in body bags. “It was tragic.”

MASSIVE RESCUE OPERATION

Authorities dispatched 29 fire trucks and hundreds of personnel. Television footage showed firefighters lowering more than a dozen people — many of them women — from the sixth floor using an extended emergency ladder. Some struggled to breathe as smoke thickened around them.

Firefighters battled the blaze for three hours before bringing it under control.

Officials said most victims died from smoke inhalation. At least 19 workers were rescued alive, though some suffered breathing difficulties, shock, and minor injuries. A police officer and a firefighter also received treatment after inhaling smoke.

Police warned the death toll could rise as search teams continue checking the structure. “We will comb through the entire building again,” Condro pledged. “Smoke is still thick inside, and it is not yet fully safe for entry.”

Bodies recovered from the scene — seven men and 15 women — were taken to the police hospital in East Jakarta for identification.

CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung criticized what he described as a lack of proper emergency exits and evacuation planning.

“This case shows the company did not provide adequate emergency access,” he said after visiting the site.

Families of the victims gathered anxiously outside hospitals and near the damaged building, which housed Terra Drone Indonesia, a firm supplying unmanned aerial vehicle technology to sectors including construction, mining, energy, and urban planning.

Authorities are investigating whether workplace-safety failures contributed to the high casualty count.

It also underscored broader concerns about corruption in Indonesia that has long been linked to weak fire-safety enforcement contributing to deadly fires like the Jakarta tragedy.

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