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At least 22 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed after a massive fire broke out at an office building in Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta, on Tuesday (December 9), police said via the Associated Press.
A thick black smoke billowed from the seven-story building and into the sky around midday local time in the Kemayoran neighborhood. The fire is suspected to have started on the first floor before spreading to others, Central Jakarta police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro said via the Associated Press.
Hundreds of personnel and 29 fire trucks were deployed by the local authorities in response to the fire. An investigation into the cause of the blaze is ongoing.
The building was used as a sales and storage office for a drone company and many workers were out to lunch when the fire broke out. Several witnesses claim that a battery began sparking in a storage and testing area, Condro said via the Associated Press.
The fire was reported to be extinguished within three house of first responders arriving at the scene. The 22 bodies recovered from the building were identified as seven men and 15 women and transported to a police hospital for further identification.
Jakarta resident Intan Puspita, whose home is located in close proximity to the building, told the Associated Press that the fire began with a loud bang as workers were seen running outside.
“When asked, they said that there was an alleged short circuit in one of the batteries during the charging process,” Puspita said.
The fire quickly spread as workers on the upper floors attempted to escape by moving to the rooftop.
“I saw about 20 victims in the body bags were being evacuated from inside,” Puspita added. “It was tragic.”