TANJUNG SELOR - The cause of the fire that burned down the Main Building of the Bulungan Regent's Office, North Kalimantan (Kaltara) on May 20, 2026, has finally been revealed.
The head of the Bulungan Police, Kombes Pol Rofikoh Yunanto revealed, based on the results of the East Java Police (Jatim) Forensic Laboratory (Labfor), the fire was confirmed to be caused by an electrical short circuit or short circuit in the electrical installation inside the building.
"The results of the examination by the Labfor of the East Java Police showed that the cause of the fire was due to the accumulation of heat due to the leakage of electrical current that occurred in the installation above the ceiling. From the results of the investigation, there was also no element of intention or criminal act," said Kombes Rofikoh, Thursday, June 25.
Rofikoh said the investigation was carried out thoroughly. A number of evidence in the form of ash and charcoal samples from the remains of the fire, to the electrical cable installation were secured for laboratory testing.
"From the results of the analysis, no hydrocarbon fuel or other flammable substances were found in the samples examined," said Rofikoh.
"On the contrary, the team found strong indications of an electrical current leak in the cable installation above the ceiling of the building. The melted, severely burned and broken cable condition is one of the main clues leading to the cause of the fire due to electrical short circuit," he continued.
In addition, the police also examined a number of witnesses who knew the beginning of the incident.
"Based on the results of witness examination and technical analysis, the First Fire Location (LAPK) of the Fire was in the Tenguyun Multipurpose Room on the second floor of the Bulungan Regent's Office, specifically in the area in front of the operator room," he said.
Rofikoh said that at the location, the level of damage was the most severe compared to other parts of the building. The fire then quickly spread to flammable materials such as ceilings, wall panels, wood and carpets until it burned down most of the building.
"The conclusion of the investigators, this fire incident was purely caused by a short circuit of electricity which caused a spark and spread to flammable materials. There was no criminal element in this incident," said Rofikoh.
He explained that the fire at the Main Building of the Bulungan Regent's Office occurred on Wednesday night, May 20, 2026 at around 21.05 Wita.
"The smoke was first noticed by Satpol PP officers who were carrying out a routine patrol in the area of the regent's office before the fire grew and engulfed the building," explained Rofikoh.
Responding to the results of the investigation, Bulungan Regent, Syarwani said, the Regency Government (Pemkab) respects all legal processes and investigations carried out by the police since the beginning of the incident.
"Until today, the local government is waiting for the results of the official investigation from the police, before taking further steps against the buildings affected after the fire," he said.
Syarwani added that after the official investigation results were received, the local government would conduct damage mapping and formulate steps for handling and rehabilitating affected buildings. His party will also evaluate and improve the security and surveillance system for electrical installations at all government facilities.
"This is an important lesson for us to strengthen fire mitigation and prevention efforts, especially those related to electrical installations on government assets," he said.
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