DKI BPBD records five sub-districts with the highest number of fire incidents

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD DKI) has recorded five sub-districts with the highest number of fire incidents, caused by various factors ranging from electrical issues to negligence.

“From 2021 to 2025, there are five sub-districts most frequently reported to experience fires, namely Kapuk Sub-district, Cengkareng Timur, Penjaringan, Pegadungan, and Pulo Gebang,” said the Head of the Data and Disaster Information Centre of BPBD DKI Jakarta, Mohamad Yohan, in Jakarta on Friday.

Based on the characteristics of the areas and general data on fire incidents in these five sub-districts, he said, there are several similarities in the patterns that trigger the high frequency of fires.

He mentioned that statistically in Jakarta, around 70-80 percent of fire incidents are triggered by electrical short circuits, and in areas like Kapuk and Penjaringan, there is a combination of overloads, use of electronic devices exceeding the building’s power capacity, non-standard installations, as well as the use of unlicensed SNI cables or sockets, especially in dense settlements.

In addition, there are factors of building density and the use of easily flammable materials, particularly in Kapuk Sub-district, Cengkareng Timur, and Penjaringan, which are known to have very compact residential areas.

“Then, semi-permanent constructions, where buildings still use wood or plywood materials, so the fire spreads very quickly before firefighters arrive,” Yohan explained.

Furthermore, he revealed that geographical conditions and infrastructure also contribute to fire causes, but not directly as the “fire” source. These two factors keep the frequency of fire reports high because small fires are difficult to extinguish independently.

“Human factors also cause the high number of fires, due to negligence in using stoves and burning rubbish. Unsupervised rubbish burning activities often trigger fires spreading to surrounding buildings,” Yohan stated.

As a fire disaster mitigation measure, BPBD DKI and the Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency usually prioritise these areas for implementing the Firefighting Volunteer (Redkar) programme and the installation of Automatic Current Breaker Lights (LOVA) to reduce the number of fire incidents due to electrical short circuits.