Fire in Gambir, Central Jakarta, Destroys Several Houses and Empty Building

A fire struck a residential area in Gambir, Central Jakarta, destroying several houses and an empty building.

“The fire spread earlier to the empty building, which is why we added two more units there. There was fire,” said Syarifudin, Head of the Central Jakarta Fire and Rescue Service, at the scene on Monday (31/8/2026).

He explained that the spread of the flames to the empty building was caused by strong winds and intense heat. The heat then ignited wood inside the vacant structure.

“It was due to wind and heat. There was indeed a pile of wood there. So the heat was able to transfer to the wood, causing ignition. Scrap wood from buildings, leftover project materials, that pile,” he said.

Meanwhile, police are investigating the cause of the fire. They have deployed a forensic team to sweep the scene.

“The cause of the fire is still being investigated, because the fire spread very quickly and the wind was also very strong. At this time, the forensic identification team is on standby to conduct a sweep once cooling operations are completed,” said Central Jakarta Metro Police Deputy Chief AKBP Mirzal Maulana at the same location.

Earlier, residents reported the fire to the fire department by telephone at 1.40 p.m. Western Indonesia Time. Firefighting operations began at 1.46 p.m.

Officers have managed to control the spread of the flames to prevent it from reaching a wider area. The firefighting process was reported to be at yellow status as of 4.17 p.m. Western Indonesia Time.

“Fire status: extinguishing in progress. The fire has been localised,” said Triyanto, Head of Operations at the Central Jakarta Fire and Rescue Service.

A total of 27 fire engines and 135 personnel were deployed to the scene on Jalan Batu Ceper 8, RT 005 RW 001, Kebon Kelapa Urban Village, Gambir District.