Clash in Tanah Abang, Two Traders' Stalls Burned by Brawl Perpetrators

JAKARTA – A brawl between youth groups in Petamburan, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Friday night (17/4/2026) caused a fire in a row of traders’ stalls.

Witnesses stated that the fire was suspected to have originated from a molotov cocktail thrown at the stalls.

“They brought fireworks, shooting them towards us, and then set fire here, at the fruit traders’ stalls. If I’m not mistaken, they used a molotov cocktail,” said Ilham (32), a workshop owner at the location.

Another witness, Imam (35), saw a bottle containing kerosene thrown towards the traders’ stalls. He suspected that the throw was deliberately aimed at the stalls.

“The fireworks were large. But there were small ones too. They were thrown towards here. From this side, Petamburan 5, the youths also retaliated with fireworks,” said Imam.

As a result of the incident, two fruit traders’ stalls were completely burned down. The fire grew to about 15 metres and spread to leaves and branches of trees behind the stalls.

Residents then contacted firefighters because they were worried the fire would spread to settlements.

“We called them, we insisted they come because the fire was already large. We were afraid it would spread to residents’ homes,” said Ilham.

“What happened last night was friction between RW 11 and RW 5 in Petamburan ward,” said Dhimas.

He explained that the brawl was triggered by mutual throwing of fireworks or firecrackers between residents.

“Due to the shooting of fireworks/firecrackers directed at each respective RW,” he added.

Police along with the mass control team immediately went to the location to calm the situation. Firefighters and municipal police also assisted in handling the incident.

“It was under control in less than half an hour,” Dhimas emphasised.