Traditional House at Sisingamangaraja XII Monument in Medan Destroyed by Fire

A traditional house within the Sisingamangaraja XII National Monument area on Jalan Sisingamangaraja, Medan, was completely destroyed by fire. Police are currently investigating the cause of the blaze at the historic landmark. Zulkifli Nasution, Head of Neighbourhood III in Teladan Barat Urban Village, stated that the fire occurred around 1.30 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. He initially saw sparks igniting the pendopo, a traditional Batak house pavilion, within the monument complex. “Initially, the fire was small. Because the building materials of the traditional house are highly flammable, the fire quickly grew,” he said. He added that police from the Medan Kota Sector Police station, located directly opposite the monument, immediately attempted to extinguish the fire while waiting for firefighters. The fire department deployed two fire engines to put out the blaze. The pendopo was completely consumed by the fire. However, witnesses reported that teenagers had been in the area of the traditional house prior to the incident. “It was said that there were teenagers on top of the pendopo knocking on something. Then, a parking attendant arrived and reprimanded the teenagers. After that, the teenagers ran away wearing green clothes,” he said. The Criminal Investigation Unit Head of Medan Kota Sector Police, First Inspector Poltak Tambunan, is investigating the cause of the fire. The Sisingamangaraja XII National Monument itself was established in 1979 and inaugurated by President Soeharto in 1992.