House Fire in Pekanbaru, One Person Burned to Death

PEKANBARU - One person died in a fire disaster that occurred on Jalan Pontianak, Tangkerang Utara Village, Bukit Raya District, Pekanbaru City, Riau, Monday, February 10.

The victim named Desprianto (42), died due to being trapped inside the house. One other resident, Upik Rustam (60) managed to survive.

Bukit Raya Police Chief, Commissioner Syafnil said that currently the victim's body has been evacuated by officers to the Riau Police Bhayangkara Hospital.

"The victim who died was the owner of the house, but he suffered from mental disorders. There were people who wanted to help, but the fire had grown big and the door was locked from the inside," said Syafnil.

To extinguish the fire, five fire engines from the Pekanbaru City government were deployed to the scene. "The fire was extinguished at around 14.00 Western Indonesian Time (WIB). When the Indonesia Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (Inafis) team entered to conduct a crime scene investigation, one victim was found dead," he said.

The Inafis Team from the Pekanbaru Police together with members of the Bukit Raya Police have evacuated the victim's body from the scene and taken it to the Riau Police Bhayangkara Hospital. The cause of the fire that resulted in fatalities is still under investigation.

"The fire originated in the kitchen, but the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation," he concluded regarding the fire in Pekanbaru.