A fire at a retirement home in Manado, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, killed 16 elderly residents on Sunday evening, police said. The single-story house caught fire while the residents were asleep, officials added. “The team on the ground has confirmed that the death toll currently is 16,” North Sulawesi police spokesperson Alamsyah Hasibuan said. “Fifteen of them were burned to death, while one victim’s body remained intact.”
Fifteen survivors were treated at two hospitals in Manado, Hasibuan said. The bodies of the victims were taken to a hospital for identification with the assistance of their families, officials added. Firefighters, using six trucks, took more than two hours to extinguish the blaze after nearby residents reported the fire to emergency services. Television footage on Sunday showed bright flames casting an orange glow and filling the night sky with smoke. Body bags containing the victims were lined up outside the retirement home. Neighbours reportedly helped rescue several residents during the fire.An initial police report suggested that an electrical fault caused the fire, but officials later stated that the exact cause was still under investigation.