Indonesia Papua market blaze kills 11, including six children, as fire razes 40 kiosks and homes

A fire in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region razed a market today and killed 11 people, including six children, police said. — Picture via pexels/Francesco Ungaro

First Published: Monday, 07 Sep 2026 2:34 PM MYT

JAYAPURA (Indonesia), Sept 7 — A fire in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region razed a market today and killed 11 people, including six children, police said.

The fire was first spotted in the town of Paniai in Central Papua province shortly after midnight, and it quickly spread to several shophouses, local police spokesman Henry J. Manurung said.

“During the inspection, officers found 11 victims who had died with burn injuries. Of the 11 victims, five of them were adults, while the other six were children,” Henry said in a statement.

The children were aged between two and nine years old, he added.

The fire, which raged for more than three hours, destroyed at least 40 kiosks and houses, despite the deployment of fire trucks and water cannons.

Authorities were still investigating the cause of the fire.

“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,” Henry said.

Deadly fires are not uncommon in Indonesia.

In December, 22 people died when a fire tore through a seven-storey office building in Central Jakarta.

Police said a drone battery that exploded on the ground floor was the likely cause.

An explosion at a nickel-processing plant in the country’s east in 2023 killed at least 12 people. — AFP