Devastation of Burnt and Collapsed Garment Factory in West Jakarta's Tambora District

JAKARTA — Debris from the burnt garment factory at Tanah Sereal, Tambora, West Jakarta, continued to litter the alleyways on Monday 16 March 2026.

The four-storey building was completely destroyed by fire and collapsed onto neighbouring residential houses. Remnants of the charred building materials remained scattered across the site. One residential access road within the alley was blocked by rubble from collapsed walls, wooden beams, bent corrugated metal roofing, and piles of ash from the fire.

Yellow police tape cordoned off several areas to prevent residents from entering the unstable rubble zone. Some residents were clearing the debris accumulated around their homes.

The fire resulted in 29 residential buildings being destroyed. The displaced residents have been forced to take shelter in emergency tents provided by the Jakarta Provincial Emergency Management Agency (BPBD) and the Jakarta Provincial Social Services Department. Inside the communal tents, residents rest on floor mats, surrounded by stacks of donated items. Small fans operated to combat the extreme heat wave currently affecting Jakarta, with temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius. Portable toilet facilities have been set up nearby.

Soleh, 65, one of the victims whose house stood directly adjacent to the garment factory, reported that the four-storey building caught fire and collapsed in the early hours of Friday. He heard several explosion sounds as the factory burned. “There were several loud bangs—I couldn’t count how many. The last one was the loudest, like a bomb sound, and then the whole thing just collapsed,” Soleh told Kompas.com.