A major fire broke out at the Trans Home store in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, October 1, with several firefighting units deployed to put it out. The fire began shortly after 1 pm local time at the building along the Jogja-Solo Road and firefighting efforts were still in progress at the time of the fire as local officials reported initial information.
The building appeared to be burning, and smoke was seen from the building in Sleman as emergency workers worked to put it out, the local police said.
Trans Home is a supermarket and retail centre in Yogyakarta, selling building materials, electrical products, household goods, and other home-related items. The company website lists a Trans Home site along the Jogja-Solo route in Sleman.
According to local reports, firefighters from various areas were involved in the effort. Sleman, Yogyakarta City, Bantul, and UGM personnel were also involved in the effort to extinguish the flames, Sleman spokesman Lohu said. Local officials said the operation was still ongoing and the immediate focus was to keep the fire from spreading further and bring it under control as quickly as possible.
First reports of the incident were about some type of electrical short circuit and that the fire could have started on an upper floor before spreading to the employee parking area. It was not clear that this was so. Local officials contacted by detikJogja said they were still investigating the cause and firefighting was still going on.
At this stage, there is no official statement on the extent of property damage and whether anyone was injured or killed. This has not been made public because emergency crews are still on the site. A thorough assessment of the building, stock, equipment, and surrounding areas will only come once firefighters secure the site.
The incident was well-covered on social media as videos depicting the thick smoke circulated online. Local news reports said posts about the fire appeared on social media platforms as residents posted photos of the fire. Images and videos showed a lot of smoke in the area of the fire, and people living and working there were affected at the time.
The location of the fire will also affect traffic and movement around the Jogja-Solo corridor due to emergency vehicles in the area. Firefighting operations often need access to roads surrounding a burning commercial property, especially when there is more than one water tender and emergency vehicle involved. It is possible that the authorities might restrict movement around the immediate site based on the magnitude of the fire and safety conditions.
The Trans Home fire has also exposed the risks of large commercial buildings that house electrical goods, materials for construction, and other retail goods. Those buildings can carry a wide variety of combustible materials, and when a fire breaks out, they can be highly combustible, so responding quickly is essential to the emergency response.
Investigators will now investigate the incident after the firefighting operation is finished. Electrical systems, CCTV footage, equipment, and other evidence will all be reviewed to determine how the fire began and if any safety measures were breached. A final assessment will also determine the extent of the damage and the accuracy of the initial information about an electrical fault.
So firefighters remain focused on extinguishing the flames and preventing a flare-up from growing. More information about casualties, damage, and the true cause of the fire will be forthcoming from authorities when they have completed their assessment.
