No Eid Celebrations, Only the Ruins of Burnt Homes for Tambora Fire Victims

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The eve of Eid al-Fitr, welcoming the day of victory on Friday night (20/3/2026), was far from joyful for dozens of residents on Jalan Tanah Sereal 13, Tambora, West Jakarta.

While other residents were busy decorating their homes to welcome guests for Eid 2026 silaturahmi visits, Soleh’s family (65) was instead occupied with tidying up the ruins of their fire-damaged house to make it habitable again.

After the temporary displacement period in tents ended, Soleh and his 10 family members were forced to return to the ground floor of their now burnt, dirty home without enclosing walls.

“Now, since Friday the 20th, on Saturday night we started moving back here,” said Soleh when met at his home, which still reeked of smoke, on Monday (23/3/2026).

The tents that had served as temporary shelters have now been closed, forcing residents to return to their respective homes.

Ani even admitted to having no appetite for food, let alone thinking about ketupat or chicken opor, the iconic Eid dishes.

“Not to mention cooking, I have no desire to eat at all. Yesterday, relatives visited here and brought food. Oh God, this is the most unimaginable Eid,” she said.

Soleh added that his family also struggled to sleep and rest every night.

The building, measuring about 5x3 metres, had to accommodate eleven people at once, so they had to take turns and find ways for everyone to rest.

“We just take turns loading up, sometimes someone sleeps leaning. My sibling slept outside last night, sitting on a covered chair wrapped in a sarong. What can we do, there’s no space,” said Soleh.

The cold night air and mosquito attacks added to the problems, especially for the children who had trouble sleeping.

“The front is open, sleeping on mats. It’s very cold at night, and the worst is the mosquitoes. It’s pitiful for the young children, they can’t sleep,” he added.

They chose not to stay with relatives because they felt awkward and the distance was too far in Parung Panjang, Bogor.