At Least 22 Dead, Including Pregnant Woman, After Fire Tears Through Office Building

At least 22 people — including a pregnant woman — were killed in a horrifying fire that ripped through a seven-story office building in central Jakarta on Tuesday, leaving behind scenes of chaos, smoke, and heartbreak.

Witnesses said the inferno erupted so suddenly that workers barely had time to react, as flames tore through the building housing Terra Drone Indonesia, a drone technology company, during the busy lunch hour. “We were eating downstairs when people started screaming,” said survivor Dimas Rahman, 27, who escaped with burns on his arms. “The smoke spread so fast, it was impossible to see. People were breaking windows and shouting for help.”

More than 100 firefighters and 28 engines swarmed the scene as thick black smoke poured into the Jakarta skyline. Video captured by local media showed desperate employees waving from shattered windows as firefighters battled to reach them with aerial ladders.

By the time the fire was extinguished, the top floors were gutted, and most victims were found dead from suffocation rather than burns, according to Central Jakarta police chief Susatyo Purnomo Condro. “The smoke was too thick — even with oxygen masks, visibility was almost zero,” firefighter Arif Setiawan told a local station. “We crawled on the ground to find survivors.”

Authorities believe the blaze began on the first floor, where lithium drone batteries were stored. “Based on early information, one of the drone batteries caught fire,” said Condro. “But the cause and exact point of origin are still under investigation.”

Terra Drone Indonesia, a subsidiary of Japan-based Terra Drone Co., issued a statement expressing “deep sorrow” for the tragedy and promised to cooperate fully with investigators. “We are devastated by this loss and are working closely with local authorities to determine what happened,” the company said.

Nineteen workers were rescued alive, many suffering from smoke inhalation. A firefighter and a police officer were also treated for breathing problems after hours inside the building. The victims were primarily women, police confirmed, including one who was pregnant at the time of the disaster. The scene outside the building was described as apocalyptic — a tangle of emergency lights, shattered glass, and grieving relatives waiting for news.

The Jakarta fire is the latest in a long line of industrial tragedies to strike Indonesia, where lax building codes and limited enforcement have made workplace disasters tragically common. “This incident highlights the ongoing failures in fire safety regulation,” said urban safety expert Eka Darmawan of the University of Indonesia. “In a city like Jakarta, these mistakes cost lives again and again.”

As night fell, search teams continued combing through the charred remains of the building, fearing the death toll could rise. “We are still collecting data and identifying victims,” Condro said grimly. “Our priority now is to bring closure to the families.”

For many in Indonesia’s capital, the haunting images of the blackened building and the rising smoke served as a painful reminder that in a city bursting with ambition, safety too often comes last.