Residents Recount Hearing Explosions Before Fire Raged

A building used to store decorative equipment and a workshop on Jalan Siulan, Gang Nusa Indah, East Denpasar, Denpasar City, caught fire on Tuesday afternoon (15/9/2026). The blaze lasted around two hours before being extinguished at about 5.30pm local time.

The fire drew the attention of residents, as the sound of fireworks exploding inside the house that triggered the fire was very loud. One resident living behind the scene, Nyoman Ari (52), heard several explosions before the fire grew larger.

“It just so happened we had just woken up. We don’t know how it started, but what we heard were explosions, then we rushed over,” said Ari when met at the scene.

After the fire grew, he helped to extinguish the flames using a hose from his house. He was even willing to climb onto the roof to assist with the firefighting effort.

“We happened to climb up from that house, the one next door, and got on top of it before the fire brigade arrived. Eventually one of the residents called the fire brigade and they came,” he said.

He was not certain, however, exactly which building had been storing the fireworks.

The head of the Denpasar City Fire and Rescue Service, I Made Tirana, said two people suffered burns in the incident. One victim sustained minor burns, while the other had to be rushed to hospital.

“There were two burn victims. One had burns only on the leg and has already been discharged. The other one I didn’t get to see, as they were quickly taken to hospital,” Tirana said at the scene.

His office has not yet been able to confirm the cause of the fire. However, the firefighting effort was hampered by fireworks exploding continuously throughout the operation. The fireworks are suspected of having caused the workshop across the street to catch fire as well.

Meanwhile, the police are still investigating the cause of the blaze, and both scenes have now been cordoned off with police lines.

“As for obstacles, the only issue was the explosions earlier. But we managed to overcome them by continuing to spray water until everything cooled down. There were a great many explosions,” he said.

A total of eight fire engines were deployed to extinguish the flames.