Manado. A fire tore through a nursing home in Manado, North Sulawesi, late Sunday, killing 16 elderly residents, authorities said. The death toll represents half of the facility’s occupants at the time of the incident.

The blaze broke out at 8:24 p.m. local time (12:24 p.m. GMT) and spread rapidly through the building, which housed dozens of senior residents. Firefighters battled the flames for about an hour to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby densely populated neighborhoods.

A total of 25 personnel and five fire engines were deployed to the scene. The fire was fully extinguished roughly an hour later, followed by a difficult evacuation amid smoldering debris.

Manado City Secretary Steaven Dandel said emergency services received the first distress call about seven minutes after the fire ignited, and fire crews were dispatched immediately.

“After the fire was brought under control, officers discovered 16 bodies of elderly residents among the charred remains of wood and concrete,” Steaven said.

In addition to the fatalities, three residents suffered severe burns. Two of them are currently receiving treatment at separate local hospitals. Facility management said 32 residents were inside the nursing home when the fire broke out.

Victim identification has posed a major challenge due to the condition of the remains. The Indonesian police’s Disaster Victim Identification team has been deployed to assist with the process.

Manado Police Chief Irham Halid said detailed examinations will be centralized at Bhayangkara Hospital starting Monday.

Police have cordoned off the site as investigations continue. While initial accounts suggest the fire may have originated in the kitchen area, authorities said no official conclusion has been reached.

“Several witness statements point to the kitchen as the source of the fire, but we are still examining all possibilities,” Steaven said.

An intensive investigation is under way to determine the exact cause of the tragedy, which occurred in the final days of the year.

Add as a preferred source on Google +