Ngawi, East Java. A massive fire engulfed a warehouse belonging to footwear manufacturer Dwi Prima Sentosa late Sunday night, destroying hundreds of thousands of rubber sandals prepared for export.

The blaze broke out around 11 p.m. at the company’s facility on the Ngawi–Caruban road in Ngawi Regency. The fire is believed to have originated in warehouse number two, which was used to store finished rubber-based products. The highly flammable materials allowed the flames to spread rapidly, overwhelming the facility’s defenses.

Thick black smoke billowed over the factory, and the fire caused the roof and much of the warehouse walls to collapse, leaving only some internal partitions standing.

Three fire engines from Ngawi were initially dispatched to combat the blaze, but due to the scale of the incident, backup units were called in from Madiun Regency and Madiun City.

Herry, a firefighter from the Ngawi district team, said the emergency response was hampered by a number of issues, including a non-functioning hydrant system, leaking hoses, and limited water supply.

“The hydrants didn’t work, the hoses were leaking, and the water was insufficient. It made the firefighting efforts very difficult,” Herry told reporters at the scene in the early hours of Monday.

According to Ngawi Police Criminal Investigation Unit chief Adjunct Commissioner Aris Gunadi, preliminary findings suggest the fire started in the electrical room located within the storage warehouse.

“Initial information indicates the source of the fire was the electrical room in warehouse two -- the one storing export-ready sandals,” said Aris.

He also criticized the factory’s inadequate fire safety infrastructure, including the ineffectiveness of portable fire extinguishers, which failed to contain the rapidly growing blaze.

Firefighters battled the flames through the night. While no casualties were reported, the company is estimated to have suffered billions of rupiah in losses.

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