Binus Kemanggisan Campus Auditorium Catches Fire, Lectures Moved Online

Jakarta – A fire tore through the Auditorium at Binus Anggrek Campus in Kemanggisan, Palmerah, West Jakarta, on Friday morning, prompting classes to be conducted online. Jason (20), a second‑year student at Binus Anggrek, said he was surprised upon arriving at the campus gate. He was not allowed entry due to firefighting operations. ‘From Depok, I left at 06:15 WIB; there was no information about a fire at the campus. I arrived around 07:00 WIB and found the gate closed. They told me I couldn’t enter; there was a fire. I’m confused, I had already arrived,’ he said. He explained that the campus immediately instructed students not to come to the location and to switch to learning via Zoom. ‘Class was supposed to be at 07:20 WIB, but it was changed to Zoom and online-only until 09:00 WIB. It was announced that there was a fire at the campus, and they advised using Zoom for the class,’ he added. He confirmed that information circulating suggested the fire originated in the auditorium on the fifth floor. Morio (20), a Computer Science student who did not have a regular class today but was due to attend a training session, described the scene. ‘I actually had a training today; there was no regular class. But when I arrived, it was crowded and there was a fire,’ he said. It turned out that all campus activities were shifted online. ‘I received information via WA (WhatsApp) and our cohort’s Discord group that the classes were online from then,’ Morio noted. Since he was already on site, he chose to wait near the campus area for further instructions regarding this afternoon’s training. He and his colleagues stood opposite their campus watching the firefighting operation. ‘There isn’t any information yet about whether we can enter in the afternoon or if activities will be cancelled due to the ongoing investigation,’ Morio said. While waiting, he tried to ascertain the location of the fire from firefighters who had just left the building. ‘I spoke to several firefighters. Some said it started in the auditorium, on the 4th or 5th floor. The probable cause, they suggested, was an electrical fault, but there’s no definite answer yet,’ he added. In a viral video, thick smoke was seen billowing from the fire site inside the campus. Fire personnel and units lined up at the campus area and along Rawa Belong Street, Palmerah. West Jakarta Fire and Rescue Operations Head, Syaiful Kahfi, confirmed the incident early on Friday morning. ‘Yes, this is an incident at Binus Kemanggisan. My team and I are on site to handle it,’ he said. He noted the fire was first reported at 05:30 WIB, and West Jakarta Fire Brigade arrived at the scene at 05:40 WIB. Initial deployment recorded around five fire units with about 30 personnel assigned to extinguish the blaze.