Tambora Resident Who Bought Bus Ticket Unable to Return Home After House Burns Down
Jakarta — Jumadi, 52, had already purchased a bus ticket to his hometown of Jepara in Central Java, but he will not be using it to return home for the Islamic holiday.
His plans to celebrate Eid al-Fitr (1447 Hijriah) with his extended family had to be abandoned after his house in the densely populated Tanah Sereal neighbourhood of Tambora, West Jakarta, was completely destroyed by fire on Friday 13 March 2026.
“I had originally planned to go home; I had already bought bus tickets for the family, the children, and my wife. But in the end, only the children and my wife went home, and I stayed here to clean up the house,” Jumadi told Kompas.com at the scene on Monday 16 March 2026.
However, he accepted the loss of his holiday ticket and chose to remain in Jakarta to manage his now-collapsed and burnt-out home. Jumadi decided to stay at an evacuation centre whilst clearing the remnants of his property, which is now completely destroyed.
“Hopefully I can accept this and not go home. If I left, I would be worried, thinking about how to rebuild this house anyway. What else can I do? It is a disaster, and I am sad, but I must accept it,” Jumadi said.
The devastating fire that struck his residence in the early hours of Friday destroyed the house he had lived in for decades since childhood. “For me, everything is gone, completely destroyed. Nothing remains of the house,” Jumadi explained.
His sorrow deepened when he saw the condition of his father, who is about 70 years old and is completely paralysed.
Three days had passed since the fire, and affected residents had been searching for shelter. They are now temporarily staying in evacuation tents that have been provided. “We evacuated from Friday onwards. We first stayed in a mosque and prayer room, and then moved here two days ago,” he said.
He noted that many women, elderly people, and children are struggling to sleep as they only have thin mats as bedding in the evacuation tents.