S

even people died when a blaze destroyed a house that was also home of the Budi Kasih Mortality Service Foundation on Jl. Tirtoyoso IX in Semarang, Central Java, on Saturday at around 2 p.m.

The victims include Lusiana, 51, Vini, 34, a nine-month toddler named Gabriel, a two-month baby named Gio and three babysitters, namely Tari, Desi and Rafiah.

Sarbini, 44, a resident in the area, said that she heard a loud boom and saw smoke rising from the house before it went up in flames.

“I assume that the fire was caused by the explosion of the generator in front of the house,” Sarbini said as quoted by Antara news agency, adding that the host used the generator following the blackout in the area at around 10 a.m.

The neighboring residents struggled to extinguish the blaze with limited tools before firefighters in six fire engines arrived on the scene.

The firefighters, along with the residents, successfully put the fire out in an hour, but they were not able to rescue the seven people who were in the house.

The seven of them were found dead in a room nearby the bathroom at the back of the building.

Their bodies were later taken to the Panti Wilasa Citarum Hospital morgue. The incident is currently under the investigation of the Semarang Police.