Fatal Mega Mall Manado Fire Investigation Underway, Police Cut All Electricity Supply
Police are committed to conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire at Mega Mall in the Megamas area, Manado, North Sulawesi. This was confirmed by the Manado City Police Chief, Commissioner Irham Halid.
“Police lines have been installed, and the electricity supply in the affected area has been intentionally cut off entirely to prevent further short circuits,” he stated on Sunday, 17 May 2026. As a follow-up plan, the authorities will conduct an in-depth investigation into the incident.
“We have coordinated with the Forensic Laboratory (Labfor) and Inafis teams from the North Sulawesi Regional Police to immediately conduct a comprehensive crime scene investigation once the building structure is declared completely safe and cooled,” he added.
In addition to investigating the cause of the fire, Samapta and Brimob personnel from the North Sulawesi Regional Police have been deployed to strategic locations within the Megamas area. This measure aims to anticipate severe traffic congestion and prevent criminal activities, such as the looting of shop assets within the mall.
He also requested that the public cooperate with officers by not approaching the debris of the fire for their own safety. “We urge the entire community to remain calm and not spread unverified information or assumptions on social media to avoid causing public panic. Leave the handling of this matter to the police and expert teams,” he said.
It was previously reported that a joint SAR team successfully evacuated one fatality from the fire at Mega Mall in the Megamas area, Wenang District, Manado.
“The victim was identified as Priscillia Tamawiwy, 34 years old, female, residing in Perumahan GPI Paniki, Manado,” said North Sulawesi Basarnas spokesperson Nuriadin Gumeleng in Manado on Sunday.
Nuriadin explained that on Saturday, 16 May, at 21:10 WITA, the Manado Search and Rescue Office dispatched the USS Manado Rescue Team to carry out the initial evacuation operation. At 00:15 WITA, the victim was found in Room 2 on the 6th floor of the Mega Mall building and evacuated, having been pronounced dead. The victim was subsequently taken to the North Sulawesi Regional Police Bhayangkara Hospital for further handling. After the search and evacuation process was completed, the joint SAR team conducted a debriefing at 01:30 WITA, after which the SAR operation was concluded.