Jakarta Ensures Public Services Stay Operational After Abdul Muis Building Fire

The Jakarta Provincial Government has assured that public services will continue after a fire broke out at the Abdul Muis Technical Services Building in Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Friday (8/7) night.

The capital's tax data remains safe because all data has been digitized

The fire, which broke out at around 9:30 PM, was extinguished without any fatalities. Based on initial information from the building management, it was believed to have started on the 11th floor before spreading to the 16th floor.

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Jakarta Fire and Rescue (Gulkarmat) Agency Head Bayu Meghantara said firefighters were immediately deployed after receiving the report.

"We deployed 37 fire trucks with 185 personnel. Three specialized vehicles, including a Bronto Skylift, were also deployed to speed up the firefighting operation and reach the fire on the building's upper floors," Bayu said in a Jakarta Provincial Government press release on Saturday (8/8).

He informed that the firefighting operation lasted around four hours due to strong winds. The fire was brought under control at around 2 AM, after which personnel carried out cooling and checks on every floor to ensure there were no remaining hotspots or risk of the fire spreading.

"Alhamdulillah, we held our position on the 10th floor to ensure the fire did not spread again. Our firefighters are still checking every floor to make sure the building is completely safe," he said.

Bayu confirmed that there were no fatalities. Firefighters also safely evacuated a worker from the 15th floor, who was later taken to hospital for further examination.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta Provincial Government assured that the fire would not disrupt public services. The capital's tax data remains safe because all data has been digitized and backed up on servers and data centers at separate locations.

The same applies to regional asset data managed by the Regional Asset Management Agency (BPAD). All data and servers are housed at data centers separate from the Abdul Muis Building and therefore remain safe.

The Jakarta Regional Revenue Agency (Bapenda) Technical Services Building is also insured. Around 1,000 civil servants from several agencies work in the building, including Bapenda, BPAD, the Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDM), the Transportation Agency, Bank Jakarta, and Dekranasda.

The Jakarta Provincial Government is now arranging temporary working arrangements for employees, including rotating Work From Home (WFH) schedules, working from city sub-agency offices, and using other Jakarta Provincial Government-owned buildings.

The Jakarta Provincial Government is also coordinating with the police to investigate the cause of the fire. All response measures are aimed at ensuring public services continue without disruption.

"We also urge the public to remain vigilant amid the prolonged dry season caused by El Niño and to check the electrical installations in their homes," Bayu added.