Two Siblings Die Trapped in Surabaya Fire, Room Locked From Outside

A house in Jalan Simorejo Gang 16 Nomor 4, Simomulyo Village, Sukomanunggal District, Surabaya, caught fire on Sunday (13/9) afternoon. Tragically, two siblings, a brother and sister, died in the incident. A local resident, Wawan, stated that the fire began around 3:30 PM Western Indonesian Time (WIB). Residents of the alley were suddenly alerted by thick smoke emanating from the house's roof. Upon realizing there was a fire, residents immediately shouted for help. "Initially, some residents saw smoke on the roof, and then residents shouted for help," said Wawan, a local resident. Residents then worked to extinguish the flames while waiting for the Surabaya City Fire and Rescue Department (DPKP) to arrive. Wawan mentioned that the house belonged to Moch Kayis Khabibullah. At the time of the fire, the homeowner and his wife were reportedly attending a funeral (takziah). Their two children, Kaffa Bihi Abdillah (7) and Khotibul Umam (5), were left at home. "When the fire occurred, the victims were indeed inside the room, locked from the outside, because their parents were attending a funeral," Wawan stated. Meanwhile, the Head of DPKP Kota Surabaya, Laksita Rini Sevriani, confirmed that the department received the first report of the fire at 3:38 PM from a resident named Riski. One minute after the report was received, at 3:39 PM, firefighters were dispatched to the location. They arrived at the scene at 3:44 PM. DPKP Surabaya deployed at least four fire engines and five rescue team units. These included three units from the TVRI Post, one unit from the Pasar Turi Rayon 1, four rescue units, and one Walang Kadung Rescue unit. The rescue team units that arrived at the scene immediately began wetting down the area as the fire had already been extinguished. The officers then entered the house to ascertain the conditions inside and to search for any occupants who might still be trapped. "When the officers arrived, the room fire had been extinguished and only required wetting because the walls were still hot," Laksita said in a written statement. During the inspection process, officers and residents discovered the two children lifeless inside the room. They were Kaffa Bihi Abdillah (7) and Khotibul Umam (5). Laksita's report revealed that the two children were believed to be trapped inside a room whose door was secured with a chain. "According to residents' statements, the room door was locked by attaching a chain to the side of the door and the wall, a chain door lock," she said. Regarding the cause of the fire, Laksita stated that the preliminary suspicion points to an electrical short circuit and an exhaust fan, which then caused the fire to spread to the mattress and grow larger. "The cause was an electrical short circuit, the exhaust and fan in the room caught fire and then spread to the mattress," Laksita said. The news of the victims' condition caused hysteria among residents gathered around the scene. They witnessed the evacuation process of the two bodies. Ambulances were on standby for the evacuation of the victims' remains. The handling of this incident involved several agencies, including DPKP Kota Surabaya, BPBD Kota Surabaya, the Dukuh Pakis Integrated Post, Simomulyo Community Health Center, and the Sukomanunggal Police Sector along with the Inafis Team of the Surabaya Police. Source: CNN Indonesia