The Halsel Maluku Regent's Office Fire Started From The Expert Staff Room

Fire at the South Halmahera Regent's office, North Maluku, Wednesday night (20/4/2022). (ANTARA/HO-Moko)

AMBON - Police said the fire at the South Halmahera (Halsel) Regent's Office, Maluku, on Wednesday night started in the regent's expert staff room on the second floor of the building.

"If we look at the hotspots of the case, from the expert staff room above, it then spread to the Regional Secretary's room and spread to other rooms," said Halsel Police Chief AKBP Herry Purwanto, to reporters in Labuha City, Halsel Regency, as reported by Antara on Thursday, 21 April morning.

Herry explained that the fire at the Halsel Regent's office, located on Jalan Kebun Karet, Labuha City, was initially noticed by residents at around 20.30 east Indonesia time. At that time the conditions were quiet and the majority of residents were carrying out the tarawih prayer.

"When people are performing tarawih worship, and the office conditions are also quiet. Then there are some residents who see but can't do anything so they immediately report to the police," he said.

The fire grew and spread to other rooms and also burned the room for the Regional Secretary (Sekda) of Halsel. He said all firefighting forces were mobilized to extinguish the fire, including the fire brigade team from Oesman Sadik Airport had to go to the scene. The fire can only be contained around 22.30 east Indonesia time.

It is unclear how many rooms were burned because of the dark conditions. The value of the loss has not been determined.

According to him, the police will investigate the cause of the incident so that they immediately put up a police line at the location of the fire. Temporary suspicion, he continued, the fire was suspected to be due to a short circuit.

"While we cannot conclude yet, the initial suspicion is that there was a short circuit because the fire was on the roof of the expert staff's office," he said.

The investigation will involve the Central Forensic Laboratory Team (Puslabfor) of the Makassar Police, South Sulawesi.

"For more details, later we will invite the Makassar Labfor Team," said Herry Purwanto.