Central Lombok government focuses on aiding victims of Sade traditional house fire
The Central Lombok Regency Government in West Nusa Tenggara has stated that handling the impact of the fire that destroyed hundreds of traditional houses in Sade, Pujut District, is focused on the recovery of the victims or affected residents.
“The affected victims number 320 people or 120 families,” said Central Lombok Regent Lalu Pathul Bahri after a coordination meeting on handling the impact of the Sade traditional house fire in Rambitan Village, Central Lombok, on Sunday.
He said that in addition to residents’ houses being completely burned down, a number of facilities such as a mosque, museum, MSME stalls, and other public facilities were also destroyed.
“This fire is a disaster that was never anticipated beforehand. However, this situation is a shared responsibility of all elements to immediately carry out handling,” he said.
He said the fire at the Sade traditional tourism village spread so quickly because most of the buildings used thatched roofs. This condition caused the fire to spread rapidly and consume the buildings within minutes.
“Especially because the roofs are made of thatch. This may serve as a reference that when something happens, it burns completely because of the thatched roofs. Going forward, this certainly needs to be considered more deeply,” he said.
Nevertheless, evaluation of house construction and the use of safer materials is not the main focus at present. The government and the community are prioritising the needs of the victims over the coming days.
“What we are thinking about today is how to handle the impact in the near term, trauma healing for schoolchildren, then the need for food today and for the next three days, and maintaining health,” he said.
Meanwhile, evacuation sites have been prepared in special houses built by the government that can be used by the community, while some residents are staying with relatives.
“The logistics post is centralised in the Merah Putih Village Cooperative building,” he said.
Rambitan Village Head Lalu Winakse said the cause of the fire could not yet be determined because the blaze spread so quickly.
“The number of families living there is 120, and the buildings that burned down completely number 89 units, with the rest suffering minor fire damage,” he said.
Previously, on Saturday night (22/8), a major fire struck one of the cultural heritage sites that has become a cultural icon of Lombok, the Sade Traditional Village in Central Lombok.
Upon hearing the news, West Nusa Tenggara Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, who had just arrived from a humanitarian mission in East Nusa Tenggara, immediately departed for the scene to inspect the situation directly and ensure that the response was running optimally.
“The safety of residents is the priority, including post-fire handling,” he said.