Istiqlal Mosque server room catches fire; blaze extinguished and congregants safe

Jakarta (ANTARA) — The server room of Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta caught fire on Wednesday evening at approximately 20:40 Western Indonesian Time (WIB). The blaze has been successfully extinguished and congregants attending the first tarawih prayers of the season were confirmed safe.

According to a report from the Central Jakarta Fire Brigade (Damkar) Command Centre, the fire originated in the CCTV server room, causing some worshippers to temporarily leave the mosque premises.

Sirens could be heard blaring into the mosque at around 20:20 WIB. According to the Damkar Command Centre report, the fire was extinguished by 20:45 WIB.

“Security personnel from Istiqlal Mosque came to our post to inform us that a fire had broken out in the server room. When we arrived, the room was already filled with smoke. However, there was still one point of fire burning below, which we extinguished with a portable fire extinguisher,” said Damkar officer Muhammad Ramdan in Jakarta on Wednesday.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, the room was already filled with thick smoke, requiring officers to use self-contained breathing apparatus to enter.

Ramdan stated that the exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined. However, he confirmed there were no casualties and that all congregants were able to resume worship safely.

“The fire did not spread anywhere else — it was contained to the server room only,” Ramdan said.

Approximately 20 personnel and four fire engines were deployed to extinguish the blaze at the location.