Elderly Woman Killed as Fire Engulfs Homes in Central Jakarta's Gambir District

A fire that struck several houses on Jalan Citarum in Cideng, Gambir, Central Jakarta, has killed one elderly person. Five others were also reported injured.

The fire occurred in the early hours of Friday (5/6/2026). The incident was initially reported at around 4.48 a.m. Western Indonesia Time. A total of 22 fire engines and 88 personnel were deployed.

The exact location of the blaze was near the Jatibaru car park, close to Tanah Abang Station. The fire caused one fatality and five injuries.

“Five people sustained minor burns, one person (elderly) has died,” said Central Jakarta Fire and Rescue Operations Head Triyanto in a written statement on Friday.

The five people who suffered minor burns have been taken to Tarakan Hospital. Meanwhile, 10 families and 35 individuals were affected by the fire.

Suspected Electrical Short Circuit

Fire officials revealed the suspected cause of the deadly blaze. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. “(The cause was) an electrical short circuit,” Triyanto stated.

A total of 10 families, comprising 40 individuals, were affected by the fire. It was reported that six houses were damaged.

Residents Recount Escape

The fire left residents’ homes charred and levelled. Locals recounted how the flames suddenly intensified, with some hearing the sound of explosions.

One victim, 65-year-old Rusminah, said she was preparing goods for her stall before a neighbour warned her about the fire. Panicked, she immediately fled her home. “‘It’s a fire,’ I said, ‘why did you tell me when it was already big? Why not when it was still small, so I could salvage something?’ So, I couldn’t save anything. I ran away with my child without bringing anything. Just the clothes on our backs, not even wearing sandals,” Rusminah said at the scene on Friday.

Her rented house was just two doors down from the fire’s origin. She lives in the back corner house with her daughter. Moments after leaving the house, Rusminah heard the sound of an explosion, which made her panic. “The fire was huge. Then after it grew really big, there was a bang, maybe a gas canister,” she explained. “It went ‘bang’, it was loud, so it must have been gas.”

Rusminah saw other affected residents panicking as the flames grew. As she recalled, it was still early morning and the dawn call to prayer had not yet sounded. “They came out, everyone panicked, running for their lives. They were terrified. Then there was a man coming out from inside, trying to get out,” she said.

Another victim, 50-year-old Wahid, said he was preparing ingredients for his gado-gado stall. When the fire escalated, he did not even have time to save his merchandise and only rescued what he considered most important. “I was about to perform the dawn prayer. I didn’t end up going; just as I was about to leave, the fire had already ignited. So I couldn’t help, there was no time to save things,” Wahid said. “I was cooking. Look, the pot is still visible there, with the rice and eggs. Still rice as well. Yes, the pot with the eggs still in it,” he added.

Wahid only managed to save his motorcycle and some clothes during the fire. His trading stock was destroyed. “I only saved that, my motorbike, and a few clothes. That’s it. I couldn’t save anything else; there’s the pot with rice still cooking. And the frying pan was even dented by the heat. That frying pan, yes. There were potatoes, crackers, all cooked now,” he said.

KRL Briefly Delayed Due to Fire

KAI Commuter Line announced that KRL services on the Tanah Abang-Duri route briefly experienced delays as a result of the fire. This was due to the blaze occurring in a residential area near the railway tracks.

“We apologise for the inconvenience. There were delays to Commuter Line journeys between Tanah Abang and Duri stations due to a fire in a residential area near the tracks,” KAI Commuter Line stated via its X account on Friday.

Train services were temporarily held pending the completion of firefighting operations, prioritising passenger safety. “The extinguishing process is still underway and is being handled by the relevant authorities. To ensure public safety, Commuter Line operations at that location are temporarily waiting until the track conditions are declared safe and passable again,” the statement read.