9,500 Chickens Die Burned in Barn Fire, Losses Reach Rp 600 Million

A fire struck a chicken coop owned by a local resident in Gerung Permai Village, Suralaga Subdistrict, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), this morning. As a result, 9,500 birds died burned, with losses reaching Rp 600 million.

Head of Public Relations Section at the East Lombok Police Resort, Iptu Lalu Rusmaladi, revealed that the incident was triggered by the process of burning charcoal used as a heater for the coop. The traditional heating method was aided by a blower machine to distribute the temperature throughout the coop.

“The charcoal was placed inside the coop in prepared containers. But this is what caused the fire,” said Rusmaladi on Sunday (3/5/2026).

Suddenly, the workers in the chicken coop panicked and shouted for help as the flames raged. Nearby residents attempted to assist with whatever equipment they had. However, the fire grew larger.

“The fire had already consumed the entire coop because it was made of highly flammable materials. Around 04.00 WITA, three fire trucks arrived and extinguished the blaze,” added Rusmaladi.

He confirmed there were no fatalities in the fire. Nevertheless, the total material losses are estimated to reach hundreds of millions of rupiah.

“The losses are estimated at Rp 600 million, including 9,500 seven-day-old chickens that were also burned,” concluded Rusmaladi.