Civil Servant's House in Lembata Destroyed by Fire Triggered by Mosquito Repellent
Maria Zeniandri, 40, of Lamahora, Nubatukan Sub-district, Lembata Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), saw her house burn on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, around 9:00 p.m. local time (WITA). The fire was suspected to have been triggered by a burning mosquito repellent. The civil servant suffered losses of about Rp 50 million.
Head of Public Information, Lembata Police, Iptu Ona Pattipeilohy, explained that the incident began when Maria called her nephew, Agustinus Laga (15), to dinner. Agustinus is known to have lived with Maria for six months. Maria has two houses; one house is given to Agustinus to stay, located about one metre from Maria’s current residence. After dinner, Agustinus returned to the house where he lived, while Maria went into a room to rest.
“About 30 minutes Maria heard the sound of someone shouting from inside the room. Because the room was somewhat soundproofed, she did not respond to the shout immediately,” Ona said when asked by detikBali on Thursday (5/3/2026).
When she came out, Maria found the house where Agustinus lived already engulfed in flames. Neighbours gathered and contacted the fire brigade to help extinguish the fire.
According to Agustinus, around 8:00 p.m. Wita he briefly burned mosquito repellent in the living room before sitting on the terrace and using his phone. Five minutes later, he smelled the scent of burning from inside the house. On entering to check, he saw the sofa in the living room already on fire.
“Seeing the incident, the witness briefly went to fetch two buckets of water from the bathroom and tried to pour it on the flames, but the fire would not go out. He then ran out through the back door of the house shouting for help,” he said.
Ona said residents came in droves to help extinguish the fire. Inside the burning house were items such as a sofa, a refrigerator, a bed, household furniture, and goods from a shop stall.
Police said the fire was triggered by the mosquito repellent used in the living room. By about 11:30 p.m., firefighters, with police assistance, had extinguished the blaze.
“Losses around Rp 50 million,” she added.
(nor/nor)