Bamboo Factory Warehouse in Pleret Bantul Destroyed by Fire, Losses Exceed IDR 1 Billion

A fire razed the production warehouse and oven room of a bamboo factory in Wonokromo, Pleret, Bantul, on Saturday (25/7) afternoon. Although there were no casualties, material losses are estimated to exceed IDR 1 billion as a result of the incident.

Head of Public Relations for the Bantul Police, Iptu Rita Hidayanto, explained that based on initial investigations, production activities at the factory had actually concluded around 3 p.m. local time and most employees had gone home. However, three workers remained on site to help clear a tree at a house next to the factory at the owner’s request. Around 3:30 p.m., one of the witnesses saw black smoke billowing from the oven room.

Upon checking through the oven room’s sliding door, it was discovered that the fire had already grown large. Attempts to extinguish the flames using light fire extinguishers were made, but the blaze could not be controlled. As the fire grew more intense, the workers tried to evacuate items near the oven room to prevent it from spreading, but their efforts were unsuccessful. By 4 p.m., the fire had grown larger and consumed part of the production building.

Firefighters arrived at the scene around 4:30 p.m. and immediately began suppression efforts alongside personnel from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Tagana, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), the Disaster Risk Reduction Forum (FPRB), and Pleret Police. One water tank from Tagana, one from PMI, two from BPBD, and two fire engines were deployed to battle the blaze. The fire was successfully extinguished around 7:25 p.m., followed by a cooling-down process.

The Bantul Police Inafis team was deployed to process the crime scene to determine the exact cause of the fire. Police confirmed that investigations are ongoing. Initial suspicions suggest the fire originated from the bamboo production furnace, but the precise cause is still under investigation by officers examining the scene. No fatalities were reported.