Tears of Sade Lombok Traditional Village Residents After Fire, Only Clothes on Their Backs Remain

Joint teams from the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police (Polri), local government, and residents have begun clearing debris from the fire that destroyed hundreds of traditional houses in the Sade tourism village, Pujut District, Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). No houses remained after being engulfed by the blaze.

“Today joint officers are clearing the remaining fire debris at the scene,” said Ridwan Maruf, Head of the Central Lombok Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), in Central Lombok on Sunday.

He said the fire occurred on Saturday night (22/8), and a number of combined fire and rescue trucks (Damkartan) were deployed to extinguish the blaze that consumed hundreds of houses in the traditional village. “Until this morning, officers were still extinguishing smoke from the remnants of the fire. Water tank trucks were also deployed to assist with cooling and clearing material at the site,” he said.

“The cause of the fire cannot yet be confirmed, whether it was due to an electrical short circuit or another factor,” he said.

He said logistical assistance is currently being prepared, including temporary shelter locations for victims affected by the fire. “Preliminary data shows the number of houses burned reached 120 units, and the number of residents is still being recorded, while the shelter location depends on the results of today’s coordination meeting,” he said.

Meanwhile, one resident, Amaq Imi, said the fire occurred suddenly at night while residents were sleeping, so valuable items such as woven fabrics, money, and mobile phones could not be saved. He said that for the time being, he and other residents are taking refuge at relatives’ homes. He added that residents are hoping for government assistance, particularly for food and other basic needs.

“We hope for assistance from the government, because nothing could be saved, only the clothes I am wearing now,” he said.