Two Vehicles Destroyed in Warehouse Fire in Margasari, Balikpapan
A fire broke out at a goods storage warehouse in the RT 28 area, Margasari Village, West Balikpapan District, Balikpapan City, East Kalimantan, in the early hours of Tuesday (18/8). The incident resulted in two pickup trucks parked at the scene being completely destroyed by fire.
The warehouse that caught fire was located in a densely populated residential area and close to the activities of Pandansari Market. Disaster management officers moved quickly to isolate the flames so that they did not grow larger and spread to other buildings in the vicinity.
The Head of the Balikpapan City Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Usman Ali, explained that the fire report was received by his team at around 03.10 WITA.
“For the time being, the indication is that it was a kind of goods storage warehouse. The location is near Pandansari Market,” Usman Ali stated.
The warehouse building materials, which were predominantly wood, caused the fire to grow rapidly at one point. Nevertheless, the alertness of the officers meant that the blaze was successfully brought under control within 30 to 40 minutes.
“Because the warehouse was also made of wood, the fire grew quickly. But in approximately 40 minutes we had it under control and extinguished,” Usman said.
To tackle the fire, the Balikpapan BPBD mobilised five fire engines, consisting of three large units and two small units. After the fire was extinguished, officers immediately continued with a cooling process to ensure there was no potential for a subsequent fire.
Regarding circulating rumours about residents being trapped inside the building, Usman clarified the conflicting reports. Based on a sweep and thorough inspection by officers on the ground, no fatalities or injuries were found in this incident.
“The information we received was that one person had been left behind inside. After we conducted a search, including gathering information around the fire site, it turned out that no one was found,” Usman explained.
The extinguishing process was acknowledged to be relatively smooth because the incident occurred in the early hours of the morning when traffic and public activity were still quiet.
“Thankfully there were no difficulties, because the situation did not involve many people and it was still dawn, so the fire engines could immediately carry out handling at the location,” Usman said.
This incident adds to the long list of fire incidents in Balikpapan City, after a major fire previously destroyed hundreds of trader stalls at Sepinggan Market on 31 July 2026. The Margasari and Pandansari areas themselves are known as dense urban areas that are on the Balikpapan City Government’s radar regarding disaster management.
In light of these conditions, the BPBD has urged the public to continue increasing their vigilance against the potential for fires, especially in densely populated settlements and goods storage areas.
“Regarding the exact cause of the warehouse fire at RT 28 Margasari, we are still awaiting the results of further investigation from the police,” Usman concluded.