Police Investigate Possible Arson in Bima Fire That Destroyed 17 Homes and Warehouses
The Bima Police are investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed 17 homes and warehouses in Lido village, Belo sub-district, Bima Regency. Police are investigating the possibility of arson.
“Yes, it is being investigated,” said Bima Police Chief, Muhammad Anton Bhayangkara Gaisar, when confirmed by detikBali, Saturday (16/5/2026).
As an initial step in the investigation, the Inafis Team of the Bima Police Criminal Investigation Unit conducted a crime scene investigation. They took general and specific photographs, made sketches, and set up police lines.
“The Inafis Team has also taken statements from a number of witnesses around the crime scene,” said Anton.
From the statements of several witnesses, the fire that destroyed the dozens of houses is suspected to have been intentional. However, the indications and suspicions of arson are still being investigated.
“For further investigation, we have coordinated with the Laboratory and Forensic Team (Labfor) of the Bali Police,” he said.
Previously reported, as many as 17 homes and warehouses in Lido village, Belo sub-district, Bima, were burned down. The fire is suspected to have been triggered by a man with the initials H (38) who allegedly set his brother on fire inside the house.
“It happened early this morning, around 03:00 local time,” said the Head of the Bima Regency Fire and Rescue Service (Damkarmat), Ruslan, when confirmed by detikBali, Saturday (16/5/2026).
Ruslan said the fire was reported by residents through the Damkarmat call center around 03:15 local time. In response to the report, they deployed two fire trucks from the Bima Regency and three fire trucks from the Belo, Palibebo, and Monta sub-district offices.
“There were five fire trucks deployed to the location. The fire was extinguished around 06:30 local time by officers and assisted by residents. After that, the cooling process continued,” he said.
As a result of the incident, the Bima Regency Damkarmat recorded that 15 stilt houses, one semi-permanent house, and one warehouse were burned down. The material loss is estimated at Rp 500 million. “There were no casualties in this incident,” he said.
Data collected by detikBali, the fire is suspected to have been deliberately carried out by H, who is suspected of having mental health problems or severe stress. Before the fire, H had an argument and then set his brother on fire inside the house.
Although his brother managed to escape and save himself, the fire burned down the entire house. The fire quickly spread and spread to other residents’ houses.
During the fire, a number of victims whose houses were burned down vented their disappointment by burning H’s motorcycle. However, it was successfully prevented by residents, the Lido Babinsa (village military officer), and Bhabinkamtibmas (village police officer).
(hsa/hsa)