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World

24 Jan, 2026

Fire in Jakarta Office Building Claims 17 Lives

Benilda Vergara

An intense fire erupted on Tuesday in a seven-story office building in Jakarta, Indonesia, resulting in the deaths of at least 17 individuals. According to Central Jakarta Metro Police Chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro, the blaze began when a battery caught fire on the building's first floor before spreading rapidly upwards, filling floors up to the sixth with smoke. All victims have been transported to hospitals for identification procedures. Authorities continue to conduct thorough searches within the premises to ensure all individuals have been accounted for and to investigate the cause of the fire in more detail.