Tragedy of Grandfather in West Sulawesi: Kitchen Burns Down, Rp 15 Million in Savings Reduced to Ashes

Jakarta - An elderly man in Polewali Mandar (Polman) Regency, West Sulawesi, could not hold back his tears after his kitchen caught fire, destroying his life savings. The 70-year-old grandfather named Rasil had been saving the money for years to cover medical expenses.

The fire occurred in Rea Jaya Hamlet, Patampanua Village, Matakali District, on Friday (13/2) at around 12:30 PM Central Indonesian Time. The moment Rasil wept over his burned savings was captured in a video that went viral on social media.

In the circulating video, Rasil is seen sitting on the steps of his house, crying and holding the charred remains of his money. Rasil then tried to check the condition of his money, which was wrapped in plastic. The wad of cash was visibly no longer intact due to the fire.

“I deliberately saved that money. I was thinking about my unpredictable health problems—it was meant as a safeguard in case I ever needed money for medical treatment,” Rasil told reporters when visited at his home on Saturday (14/2/2026).

A neighbor helped count Rasil’s burned money. The total amount of cash destroyed by the fire reached Rp 15 million.

“What we could still count totaled Rp 15,685,000, ranging from Rp 5,000 to Rp 100,000 denominations, with the majority being Rp 100,000 notes amounting to ten million,” said the victim’s neighbor, Sunarti.

According to Sunarti, the victim had wrapped the money in a plastic bag and placed it inside a tin can. Rasil kept the can in the kitchen of his home, which is believed to be the source of the fire.

Patampanua Village Head Yusuf said the victim had been living alone and was busy farming. The victim has one child who is already married with their own family. Yusuf said the fire only destroyed the kitchen section of the victim’s home. He said the local government has already visited and provided assistance.