Seeing Sade Burn, Canadian Tourist Moved to Launch International Fundraising Campaign
The rubble of the traditional houses of Sade, razed to the ground, left Eli, a tourist from Canada, deeply shaken. Seeing first-hand the condition of the cultural heritage area, Eli was moved to mobilise international assistance to help with Sade’s recovery.
The 26-year-old woman came to Sade, Central Lombok, with her companion, Ray, on Monday (24/8/2026). A day earlier, the pair had learned of the massive fire that struck dozens of traditional houses in Sade Village through social media.
The foreign tourist was saddened when she saw first-hand the impact of the fire that occurred on Saturday (22/8). She wanted to help the people of Sade affected by the disaster.
“We are here today because we really want to help this town and its people. We love Indonesia and the people here are very friendly. I hope to start a campaign through GoFundMe or a similar platform to raise funds and increase public awareness,” Eli said in an interview in Sade on Monday (24/8/2026).
For Eli, the Sade Traditional Hamlet holds a special emotional value. She had visited the area in November last year and witnessed first-hand the meticulousness of the local woven fabric artisans.
According to her, a single piece of traditional cloth takes up to three months to produce. For that reason, the fire is considered a severe blow to the economy and livelihoods of families in Sade Hamlet, Central Lombok.
“I came here to see the condition of the traditional houses that burned down. I am sad to see it,” Eli said.
Not only wanting to raise aid, Eli also proposed technical innovations in the rebuilding of the traditional houses that were completely destroyed by fire.
“I think the traditional building structure, which is dominated by natural materials, made the fire spread very quickly,” she said.
Eli suggested that the reconstruction of Sade’s traditional houses make use of modern material technology that is more fire-retardant.
According to her, the use of new materials does not have to eliminate the architecture and aesthetic value characteristic of traditional Sasak houses. The local cultural identity must still be preserved in the reconstruction process.
This step is considered important to prevent a similar incident from recurring without erasing the cultural character of the Sade traditional area.
“As a tourist, I do not want to see an incident like this happen again. I hope the people of Lombok and the relevant parties can find a way to rebuild this place using safer and more durable materials,” she concluded.
It is known that the fire destroyed 75 houses (previously reported as 129 houses) and 69 art shops belonging to residents. A number of traditional facilities and public facilities were also affected.
The affected facilities included one mosque unit, four berugak sekenam six-pillared gazebos, six berugak sekepat, and one alang-alang granary.
In addition, the fire affected one village hall unit, one toilet unit, one traditional gate unit, and one granary unit. Meanwhile, outside the main area of the fire site, around 20 housing units outside Sade Traditional Village were also affected.