Temple in Badung Destroyed by Lightning Strike, Losses Reach 600 Million Rupiah

A family temple (pura kawitan) in Celuk Neighbourhood, Kapal Village, Mengwi, Badung, Bali, was completely destroyed by fire after being struck by lightning. The fire resulted in material losses totalling 600 million rupiah.

“The incident occurred during heavy rain. A witness heard an extremely loud thunder sound above his house. After checking outside, fire had already appeared on the meru (multi-tiered tower) section of the temple, which was positioned right next to the witness’s house,” said Ipda Ni Nyoman Yuni Eltari, Deputy Chief of Investigation at Badung Police District, on Monday, 16 March 2026.

Yuni revealed the incident occurred at approximately 20:00 local time on Sunday, 15 March. The event was first discovered by I Gede Oka Wibawa (39), a police officer residing in Celuk Neighbourhood.

Before seeing the fire blaze, Oka had checked the conditions around his house due to the extremely strong vibrations from the lightning. “The witness only became aware of the fire after finishing prayers at his family shrine and seeing a light glow the size of a lamp in the temple area,” Yuni added.

Oka then asked his son to strike the kulkul (bamboo alarm) and requested assistance from nearby residents. Hearing the alarm sound, residents rushed to the scene to help extinguish the flames. Other residents contacted the Badung Fire Service.

“Residents who arrived immediately worked together to attempt to extinguish the fire before the Fire Service vehicles arrived at the location. As a result of this fire, the temple custodians suffered material losses of approximately 600 million rupiah,” Yuni stated.

The fire disaster was subsequently reported to Mengwi Police Station. Yuni explained that officers had conducted a crime scene investigation and gathered statements from witnesses to determine the sequence of events.

“The report has been received at Mengwi Police Station for further handling in accordance with applicable procedures. The preliminary assessment indicates the primary cause of the fire was purely due to a lightning strike during extreme weather conditions last night,” he concluded.