Fire Terror at Fia's House in Sleman Spreads, Burning Objects Outside the Building
The spread of fire outbreaks at the residence of Mutfiana, also known as Fia, a resident of Seyegan, Sleman, DIY, which has been plagued by repeated fire phenomena, is now expanding.
Agus, Fia’s father, stated that fire points have spread to reach the building area north of their house. This shophouse has been used by his family as a refuge since this mysterious fire first appeared eleven days ago. According as Agus, the fire appeared on Monday (1/6) afternoon and evening. First, the fire ignited plywood on the northern side of the building; second, the flames burnt wood behind the building.
“It has spread outside; it happened twice yesterday,” said Agus when interviewed on Tuesday (2/6) night. Fortunately, both fire points at different times were extinguished before they could grow larger. “If it had ignited cloth, the fire would likely have been much larger,” he added.
Agus estimates that fire has appeared 81 times since the first incident eleven days ago, with the number of fire locations now exceeding 65. In addition to the exterior, the rear rooms of the house, which previously showed no signs of fire, have now also begun to be ‘invaded’. “The timing is random, and the locations vary. Some spots have been hit three times, among others,” he noted.
The Head of Sleman BPBD, Bambang Kuntoro, stated that the Local Government has provided 4-5 fire extinguishers (APAR) at Fia’s residence for emergency purposes. Additionally, local security (linmas), volunteers, the Rapid Response Team (TRC), and local residents are actively on guard whenever fire appears at Fia’s house or the surrounding area. The fire brigade (Damkar) unit is also on standby. “It is a pity for them; they haven’t slept soundly for eleven days,” he said.
A research team from UGM and UPN ‘Veteran’ Yogyakarta has visited the site several times to conduct investigations. UGM experts currently suspect hydrogen gas (H2) as the trigger, while the UPN team suggests methane gas (CH4) as the cause.
Professor Basuki Rahmat, Dean of the Faculty of Mineral and Energy Technology (FTME) at UPN ‘Veteran’ Yogyakarta, stated that the fire points appearing outside the house yesterday further strengthen the theory that the fire is triggered by methane gas. “This strengthens the evidence that there is methane gas beneath the surface of the ground continuously escaping into the air. CH4 molecules tend to adhere to H2O (water) molecules, such as humidity. Methane gas thrives in humid areas,” he explained when met at Fia’s residence.
Basuki noted that a geophysics team from his university will map the rock layers beneath the ground on Wednesday (3/6) morning, as it is strongly suspected that these layers are carrying methane gas.