Muara Angke fire survivor awaits childbirth in evacuation tent

A survivor of the fire in Muara Angke, Penjaringan, North Jakarta, Ade, is forced to await childbirth in an evacuation tent after the home she had lived in for nine years was destroyed by flames along with dozens of other houses on Wednesday evening (26/8).

“The house burned down and I no longer know where I will live, especially since I am due to give birth on Monday. I am still staying in an evacuation tent,” Ade said in Jakarta on Friday.

Ade recounted that when the fire engulfed her home, she had only one priority: saving her children. “When the fire broke out, I was at home, but because of the panic, I did not have time to bring anything, let alone my ID card, family card, birth certificates, and other documents,” she said.

During the fierce blaze, she immediately took her children out of the house and away from the fire site. Ade now faces the reality of losing her home, which has made her situation increasingly difficult. “I am awaiting the birth of my baby, scheduled for this coming Monday,” she said.

Despite being in the evacuation shelter, she remains grateful because the needs of residents there are being adequately met. According to her, aid from various parties continues to arrive, especially for daily food needs. “Alhamdulillah, there is always assistance coming here, including food supplies which are very sufficient. Thank you for the concern shown to us in Muara Angke,” Ade said.

“The fire was only successfully extinguished in the early hours of Thursday at 00.12 WIB,” said Gatot Sulaeman, Head of Operations Section at the North Jakarta and Thousand Islands Fire and Rescue Agency, on Thursday (27/8). He said the firefighting effort began at 18.54 WIB, and officers managed to extinguish the blaze after five hours of handling. “Alhamdulillah, the fire was successfully put out and the situation has been brought under control by officers,” Gatot said.

Meanwhile, the Sunda Kelapa Police, part of the Tanjung Priok Port Police, are still investigating the cause of the fire that destroyed 60 residential houses in the Muara Angke area. “This morning, we were already at the scene, conducting examinations and installing police lines,” said AKP Eri Suroto, Head of Criminal Investigation Unit at Sunda Kelapa Police, on Thursday (27/8).