Fire at Bulungan Regency Office in North Kalimantan; firefighter injured by glass shards

The fire at the Bulungan Regency Office in North Kalimantan occurred at 21:00 WITA on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, according to Antara. Firefighter Nurdin said he was hit by glass shards while engaging the flames. ‘I was trying to dodge glass shards from above so they wouldn’t hit my body with my hands,’ he said after being treated by PMI Bulungan. He added that he had been at home eating and not on duty, but upon hearing a radio report of ‘65 (kebakaran) at the Regent’s Office’ he immediately headed there. Nurdin stated all Bulungan Fire Department units were deployed, with eight from the Katamso Street Headquarters and two units on standby in nearby districts. He went straight to the Regent’s Office as soon as he heard the fire news. At the scene, in addition to Bulungan Damkar units, there were Forest and Land Fire Control (Dalkarhutla) Armoured Water Cannon (AWC) vehicles from Polda Kaltara and Polresta Bulungan. PMI Kepala Markas Bulungan, Tono, said other fire units came from Tanjung Harapan Airport and from the TNI AD, while PMI contributed three ambulances—one from PMI Province Kaltara and two from PMI Bulungan. ‘There were 14 PMI personnel from the province and district down here, and three of our ambulances were stationed at the scene,’ he said. By 21:30 the public crowding the Regent’s Office area forced security and damkar personnel to repeatedly urge people not to obstruct the response. By 22:00 the fire had grown, burning the offices of the regent and deputy regent on Jalan Jelarai Raya, Tanjung Selor Hilir, Tanjung Selor District. Cleaner Suminah described her panic; ‘Oh God… Allahu Akbar… hopefully it will be quickly extinguished.’ She rushed to the site after seeing the fire from her home about 200 metres away. By around 23:00 the blaze was being brought under control, but damkar units continued firefighting as pockets of flame re-emerged. The cause remains under investigation, with police collecting witness statements at the scene.