Indonesia Office Building Fire: At least 22 killed as massive blaze breaks out at Jakarta office

Television footage showed a tense evacuation from the upper floors, with firefighters lowering more than a dozen workers one by one from the sixth floor using an extended emergency ladder. Several struggled to breathe as they waited for their turn amid the lingering smoke.

Rescuers carry out the body of a victim from the site of a fire in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

How the fire spread

The blaze began around midday on the first floor of the building in Kemayoran and quickly spread upward, sending dense black smoke into the sky and triggering panic among nearby residents and office workers. Condro said hundreds of personnel and 29 fire trucks were deployed to bring the fire under control. It was extinguished after three hours of intense operations.

The building was used as a sales and storage facility by PT Terra Drone Indonesia. Many workers were out for lunch when the fire broke out, but others were trapped as flames spread. Witnesses said a drone battery in a storage and testing area had started sparking. “It is suspected that a short circuit or thermal failure in the drone battery triggered an explosion and fire,” said a survivor named Dimitri, who told local television as per AP that some colleagues tried to flee to the rooftop while calling for help.

Condro said the fire had been extinguished, but teams remained focused on evacuating victims and cooling the structure. Footage aired by Kompas TV showed firefighters carrying body bags out of the building and using portable ladders to help workers escape from upper floors.

Firefighters work in an office building that caught fire in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Condro said search efforts would continue as conditions inside remained hazardous. “We will comb through the entire building again,” he said. “The smoke is still thick and it is not yet possible for us to enter the structure.” Meanwhile, families gathered at hospitals and outside the charred building awaiting updates from authorities.

The office houses Terra Drone Indonesia, a provider of aerial survey drones serving sectors from mining to agriculture. It is the Indonesian unit of Japan-based Terra Drone Corporation, according to the company’s website. Both firms did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

(With Inputs from AP, Reuters)