Resident Describes Escape from Kemayoran Fire
A fire broke out this afternoon in the Kebon Kosong area of Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, destroying eight buildings.
One was the home of Jubed, 23, who said he immediately fled after seeing the flames spread towards his house.
“The fire appeared at around midday. It started at two houses, and then the flames were already rolling over from above. So we went straight out of the house,” Jubed said near the scene on Thursday (8 October 2026).
Jubed said he managed to save a safe and important documents. He did not have time to save anything else, including clothes.
“We immediately got ourselves out and saved the safe and things like documents, the more important items. That was it; there was nothing else we could take. We didn’t even manage to take a single item of clothing,” he said.
Jubed also said he heard several explosions. He suspected they were caused by the fire reaching electrical wiring.
“Yes, there were lots of explosions. Maybe they were caused by the electricity. The electrical connections were linked up too much, and everything kept exploding,” he added.
Jubed hoped the government and other parties would provide assistance, saying residents affected by the fire would welcome any kind of help.
“Yes, our hope is that anyone, whether the Social Affairs Office, the government or others, can help. We would accept anything, however small, from clothes and basic food supplies to anything else,” he said.
Earlier, a fire swept through the densely populated neighbourhood of Kebon Kosong, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, this afternoon, destroying eight residents’ homes.
Kebon Kosong village head Sunardi said eight buildings, including houses and kiosks, had been burned.
Firefighters received information about the blaze at around 12.15pm. The affected residential property was at Jalan Dakota 2 No. 3 8, RT 8/RW 9, Kebon Kosong, Kemayoran district, Central Jakarta.
A total of 23 fire engines and 74 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blaze. Firefighting operations were completed at 1.30pm.