PMI South Jakarta Aids Victims of Blaze

Palang Merah Indonesia’s South Jakarta chapter treated injured workers and people with breathing trouble after a fire tore through Building D of the Home Affairs Ministry complex on Monday, April 20. (antaranews.com) The fire hit Building D at the ministry’s Pasar Minggu office in South Jakarta, where the Directorate General of Village Government Development and the civil registry directorate are based. South Jakarta PMI chair Mundari said volunteers provided first aid and ambulance service at the scene. (antaranews.com) Kompas reported six people were hurt: five ministry employees suffered injuries or shortness of breath, and one firefighter was injured during the response. Three PMI volunteers were on standby outside the main building and treated victims in an ambulance before their condition improved. (kompas.com) South Jakarta firefighters received the first report at 1:38 p.m. Western Indonesia Time and began operations at 1:47 p.m. ANTARA said 75 personnel were deployed, while Kompas said 18 fire engines were sent to the complex. (antaranews.com, kompas.com) The early medical response mattered because several victims were dealing with smoke inhalation rather than severe burns. In a separate December 2025 Jakarta office fire that killed 22 people, police said many victims died from suffocation, underscoring how quickly smoke can turn deadly indoors. (kompas.com, jakartaglobe.id) Officials said the blaze appeared to start outside the building, near a pile of used goods beside a clinic in Building D, before spreading upward through the rear of the structure. Kompas reported flames reached the upper floors and shattered windows. (antaranews.com, kompas.com) The ministry said public services would continue on Tuesday, April 21, because other rooms in the complex remained usable. Head of the ministry’s information center Beni Irawan also said no important documents were damaged in the fire. (kompas.com) For PMI South Jakarta, the response followed another recent fire deployment: in March, the group opened a free health post for residents displaced by a blaze in Bintaro, also in South Jakarta. Monday’s scene at the ministry ended the same way such deployments are meant to end — with victims stabilized fast enough to avoid a worse toll. (antaranews.com, antaranews.com)