Tambora Fire Victims Agree on Compensation from Confectionery Factory Owner

JAKARTA - An agreement on compensation for victims of the fire at a confectionery factory on Jalan Tanah Sereal 13, Kelurahan Tanah Sereal, Kecamatan Tambora, West Jakarta, has finally been reached between residents and the business owner. Chairman of RT 10 RW 09 Tanah Sereal, Nanang, revealed that the agreement had been discussed since before Eid al-Fitr and has now been handed over to the sub-district office. “The timing was, if I’m not mistaken, a few days before Eid. There are notes with my administrators. But we’ve confirmed everything with the Lurah, it’s already been submitted,” Nanang told Kompas.com on Thursday (26/3/2026). Nanang explained that a total of 29 houses were affected by the fire, with 18 in RT 10 and 11 in RT 11. Compensation claims were submitted separately by each RT administrator, with varying amounts adjusted to the level of damage each house sustained. In RT 10, eight houses were completely burned down, while the other 10 suffered minor to moderate damage. Nanang assured that the distribution of compensation would consider the degree of damage, so residents with the most severe losses would receive larger payouts. “Those most severely affected, like the ones that burned down, will definitely get a different amount from those with ordinary impacts, such as damaged roofs or slightly damaged walls,” he clarified. During the compensation and house repair process, affected residents must temporarily evacuate or rent other accommodations. Head of the West Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency (Gulkarmat), Suheri, said the fire was first noticed by residents active at night. “It started around 2:30 AM WIB, when residents playing carom billiards nearby saw confectionery employees running out. They asked for help to try to put out the fire that was burning the machines on the first floor,” Suheri stated. Initial extinguishing efforts failed because the fire spread quickly and climbed to the upper floors via easily flammable fabric distribution paths. “The fire couldn’t be put out by the employees and instead grew larger. It rapidly spread up to the third floor through the inter-floor fabric distribution routes,” he explained. The factory building then collapsed and fell onto surrounding residents’ houses, causing the fire to spread and completely destroy 29 homes. A total of 31 fire trucks with 155 personnel were deployed to extinguish the blaze. The firefighting operation lasted six hours, and the fire was finally put out at 8:42 AM WIB.