Sujay Carries Ailing Parents to Safety During Tambora Fire

A fire in the densely populated Tambora area of West Jakarta destroyed dozens of homes. One resident, Sujay (42), recounted the moment he rescued his parents as the flames consumed their house. The fire broke out at 19:47 WIB on Thursday (28 May). Sujay said his parents were unwell, prompting him to act swiftly to save them. ‘I was at home after work when the fire had already grown large. Because the flames were close and had become huge, I prioritised saving my parents first. They’re unwell,’ Sujay said during an interview at the fire site on Friday (29 May 2026). Sujay explained his parents were unable to walk, forcing him to carry them to safety. ‘They’re unwell, can’t walk. They had dialysis yesterday, Wednesday. Yes, they have another session tomorrow,’ he said. ‘I carried them first, then walked a short distance forward,’ he added. Besides his family, Sujay also managed to evacuate his motorcycle. During the evacuation, he reported hearing explosions at the fire site. ‘There was an explosion while I was evacuating the motorcycle after my mother had exited. It sounded like gas. The fire became massive after that explosion,’ he said. Despite this, Sujay was relieved his motorcycle survived. He said it was only a few metres from being engulfed. ‘Alhamdulillah, it survived. It was just a few metres away, maybe five metres,’ he said. Sujay stated his family escaped unharmed, but all their clothing was destroyed. ‘Thankfully, everyone is safe. No injuries at all. Just all the clothes were burned,’ he said. Sujay hopes the government will assist in rebuilding his home to ease his burden as a fire victim. ‘I hope the government can help with construction materials to alleviate my burden as a fire victim,’ he said. It is known that 27 houses were destroyed in the incident, affecting 250 people. The fire was extinguished at 23:32 WIB after the fire brigade deployed 21 fire trucks.