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View all search resultsStaff shortages hamper Jakarta’s battle against blazes
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Devastating blaze: A resident helps put out a fire on July 21 in Duri Utara, Tambora, West Jakarta. The West Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency deployed 29 fire trucks and 145 personnel to tackle the fire that engulfed a 9,000-square-meter residential area. (Antara/Fauzan)
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akarta is grappling with an alarming surge in fire incidents this year, with blazes tearing through densely packed neighborhoods and vital infrastructure, all while the city’s firefighting force struggles to keep up amid chronic understaffing.
In one of the year’s largest fires, a massive blaze in North Jakarta’s Kapuk Muara displaced 3,200 people and destroyed at least 485 semi-permanent homes in June. Just weeks later, tragedy struck again in Bukit Duri, Tebet, South Jakarta, where four children were killed in a house fire. On Saturday, flames engulfed a city-owned warehouse in South Jakarta’s Pasar Minggu in yet another case reportedly caused by an electrical fault.
These are just three of 907 fire incidents recorded by the Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency as of early August, a staggering number that has put pressure on the city’s already strained emergency response system. This year’s figure has already surpassed last year’s total of 789 incidents.
The agency head Bayu Meghantara said Jakarta has only about 4,000 firefighters operating from 172 fire stations across its six municipalities, far below the estimated 11,000 personnel needed to fully cover its 267 subdistricts.
“Ideally, each subdistrict should have its own fire station,” Bayu said.
Read also: Fire engulfs Taman Puring Market, razes over 550 stalls
Despite operating around the clock, the limited number of firefighters has made it increasingly difficult to respond swiftly to emergencies, especially as the nature of calls has diversified.
