Home Occupants Died During Fire In Densely Populated Settlements In Balikpapan

Fire illustration (ANTARA)

BALIKPAPAN - Allegedly due to an electrical short circuit, four houses in a densely populated residential area in Balikpapan City, East Kalimantan, Thursday, August 24, were burned down. As a result of the fire, one victim was found charred in the rubble of a burning building.

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the South Balikpapan Police, Iptu Hendrik, said the fire incident hit a densely populated residential area on Jalan Sepinggan Baru, RT 28 Sepingga Village, South Balikpapan District at around 08.30 WITA.

The strong gusts of wind made the flames quickly grow. In addition, the condition of the buildings, which are mostly made of wood, made the flames quickly spread to other residential areas.

Firefighters from the Balikpapan City BPBD also deployed 10 fire engines from all fire stations in 5 sub-districts, to deal with the fire.

The condition of the fire location in the narrow alley made the officers even more overwhelmed, because the fire engines could not reach the location of the fire. Firefighters were forced to lower the long hose, so they could reach the hotspots.

After struggling to fight the flames for more than an hour, the flames were finally controlled by firefighters from the Balikpapan City BPBD.

During the cooling effort, firefighters from the Balikpapan City BPBD received a report that one person was trapped in the flames. The officers finally found the victim in a roasted condition in the rubble of a burning building.

Hendrik said the victim was found roasted in a prone position. However, seeing the condition of the victim who is no longer recognizable, the police have not been able to confirm the identity of the victim.

"Earlier it was found that there was one victim, we also don't know that his gender is still under investigation while he has been taken to Bhayangkara Hospital. He was found inside the estimated fire scene in the room face down. For his gender, we don't know for sure it's still under investigation," said Hendrik.

Meanwhile, until now the location of the fire is still crowded with dozens of residents, and firefighters are still trying to cool down around the fire site.