Indonesia fire kills 16 people in retirement home

A deadly fire at Manado’s Werdha Damai retirement home in Indonesia has claimed 16 lives, with authorities still investigating the cause. Residents, mostly elderly, were trapped as the blaze engulfed the building late Sunday.

KOMPAS TV/Reuters

Deadly fire at Manado retirement home in Indonesia kills 16, dozens evacuated as authorities investigate cause.

Reuters

A fire at a retirement home in Manado, a city on Indonesia's Sulawesi island, has claimed the lives of 16 people, a local police official said on Monday (December 29), according to state news agency Antara.

The blaze at the Werdha Damai retirement home was finally brought under control late on Sunday (December 28), and authorities are still investigating its cause, said police official Alamsyah P. Hasibuan.

Footage from news channel Metro TV showed flames engulfing the home, lighting up the night sky as residents were seen helping an elderly person escape the burning building.

Jimmy Rotinsulu, chief of Manado’s fire department, told Metro TV that most of the residents, who were elderly, were trapped inside. He added that three others suffered burns in the incident.

-Production: Yuddy Cahya Budiman/Reuters

A devastating fire at the Werdha Damai retirement home in Manado, Indonesia, killed 16 people and injured three others. The blaze, which engulfed the building late on December 28, trapped many elderly residents inside. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.