At least 11 people, including six children, have died after a fire swept through a market and nearby buildings in Indonesia’s Central Papua province, police said.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight on Monday in Paniai and quickly spread to surrounding shops and residential buildings, according to local police spokesman Henry Manurung.
Firefighters battled the inferno for more than three hours, using fire trucks and water cannons to contain the flames.
However, the intensity of the blaze and the tightly packed arrangement of market stalls and houses made firefighting efforts difficult.
Police said at least 40 kiosks and houses were destroyed in the fire.
After the flames were extinguished, officers inspecting the affected area discovered the bodies of 11 victims, all of whom had suffered fatal burn injuries.
“During the inspection, officers found 11 victims who had died with burn injuries. Of the 11 victims, five were adults, while the other six were children,” Manurung said in a statement.
He said the children were aged between two and nine.
Manurung attributed the difficulty in containing the fire partly to the close proximity of the buildings.
“The intensity of the blaze and the fact that the houses and stalls were all packed tightly together made the firefighting process take quite a long time,” he said.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire, with investigations continuing.
Deadly fires are relatively common in Indonesia, with several major incidents recorded in recent years.
In December, 22 people were killed after a fire swept through a seven-storey office building in Central Jakarta. Police said an exploding drone battery on the ground floor was the likely cause of the incident.
Earlier, at least 12 people were killed in 2023 following an explosion at a nickel-processing facility in eastern Indonesia. (AFP)
