A fire tore through a seven-storey office building in Jakarta, killing at least 22 people, police said.
Police said a drone battery that exploded on the ground floor had likely ignited the fire, which spread to the upper levels of the building in central Jakarta before being put out yesterday.
“However, the exact cause is still under investigation by the forensic laboratory team,” said Susatyo Purnomo Condro, the Central Jakarta police chief, telling reporters the force was “committed to thoroughly investigating this fire incident”.
A witness said that the fire broke out at lunchtime, and was already large by the time firefighters reached the scene.
“The door was closed. When the firefighters broke in, the fire was already big and very red,” said Nurhayati, 53, who, like many Indonesians only has one name.
Updating an initial toll of 17 killed, Susatyo said there were at least 22 victims including 15 women. One of them was pregnant, he said.
The Jakarta Fire Department said at least 100 firefighters and 29 fire trucks were deployed to extinguish the blaze.
A local police commander was injured while assisting the evacuation of the building, Susatyo said.
He said most of the victims did not seem to suffer burns and most likely died of asphyxiation.
The investigation will look into “whether the cause of the fire is linked to negligence or if there are other responsible parties”, he added. — AFP
