House in Cirebon Burns Down After Owner Forgets to Extinguish Candle During Blackout

A house belonging to a resident in Kliwon Hamlet, Ambit Village, Waled District, Cirebon Regency, caught fire on Thursday around 3.34 a.m. Western Indonesia Time. The incident is suspected to have been caused by negligence in leaving a lit candle unattended. Eno Sujana, Head of Firefighting, Rescue, and Infrastructure at the Cirebon Regency Fire and Rescue Service, said the fire report was first received by the Cikukak Sector from the local hamlet head. “After receiving the report, personnel and vehicles immediately headed to the scene,” Eno said. According to Eno, based on information from local residents, the homeowner was not at the property when the fire broke out. The fire is strongly believed to have originated from a candle that was still burning in the kitchen area. “The candle was lit the previous evening when there was a power cut, but the homeowner forgot to extinguish it,” Eno explained. The incident was first noticed by the victim’s neighbour. Seeing the growing flames, the witness immediately reported the incident to the homeowner and the Ambit Village hamlet head, who then forwarded it to the fire department. Before officers arrived, local residents worked together trying to extinguish the fire with makeshift equipment using buckets of water. The firefighting efforts were ultimately maximised after personnel from the Cikukak Sector, assisted by the Ciledug Sector, village officials, and residents, collaborated to tame the blaze. The fire was successfully extinguished at 4.25 a.m. Officers then proceeded with the cooling down process to ensure the fire was completely out. “There were no fatalities in this incident,” Eno confirmed. However, the homeowner is estimated to have suffered losses amounting to Rp 80 million. Besides the house structure being gutted, various household furnishings were also destroyed in the fire.