Fire Devastates Traditional Village in Sukabumi, 70 Homes Destroyed

A fire has completely destroyed a settlement in the Kasepuhan Ciptamulya traditional village, Sirnaresmi Village, Sukabumi Regency. A total of 70 homes were razed in the incident, which occurred at 2 p.m. Western Indonesia Time, leaving 420 people displaced.

Staff from the Sukabumi Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) reported that the fire is strongly suspected to have originated from an electrical short circuit in a public bathing and toilet facility located on the edge of the settlement. The flames quickly spread to the densely packed traditional houses.

“The temporary data we obtained from the local hamlet head indicates that 70 houses were completely destroyed by the fire. The blaze spread very rapidly because the buildings in this Kasepuhan are mostly roofed with sugar palm fibre and constructed from wood,” said BPBD staff member Kuswan Hermawan. He added that strong winds and the close proximity of the houses caused the fire to level dozens of homes within hours. Almost none of the residents’ belongings could be salvaged.