A devastating fire erupted at the Damai retirement home in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Sunday evening, resulting in one of Indonesia’s deadliest recent tragedies. Local authorities confirmed sixteen fatalities and three injuries after flames rapidly consumed the facility housing elderly residents.
The inferno began approximately at 20:30 local time (12:30 GMT), with emergency services responding immediately to distress calls. According to Jimmy Rotinsulu, chief of Manado’s fire and rescue agency, numerous victims were discovered inside their rooms, likely resting when the fire initiated. The blaze was successfully extinguished by 21:30 (13:30 GMT), though the damage proved catastrophic.
Eyewitness Steven Mokodompit, residing near the nursing home, described hearing an explosion and desperate cries for help upon arriving around 20:00. ‘Within merely five minutes, the fire had completely engulfed the building,’ he recounted to Detikcom. Mokodompit and other brave responders improvised rescue efforts using stacked tables and ladders to evacuate residents through the building’s rear.
Authorities face significant challenges in identifying victims due to the severe condition of remains, described as largely ‘unrecognizable.’ Police have launched a comprehensive investigation into the fire’s origin, suspected to have started in the kitchen area. Families of potential victims are urgently requested to contact designated hospitals for identification procedures.
This incident highlights ongoing fire safety concerns in Indonesian residential facilities, coming just weeks after a Jakarta office building fire claimed 22 lives. The frequency of such tragedies underscores critical needs for enhanced emergency protocols and infrastructure safeguards across the nation’s aging care institutions.