ASMAT — A violent fire hit the Mess Bank Papua Atsj Unit and the UPTD Office of the Atsj District Education Service, Asmat Regency, South Papua, on Thursday (29/1/2026) early morning. The incident was accompanied by the sound of an explosion heard by residents and employees around the scene.
Asmat Police Chief AKBP Wahyu Basuki said, the fire occurred on Pancasila Street, Atsj District, around 04.45 WIT. The fire quickly grew and scorched the two buildings, namely the Mess Bank Papua Unit Atsj and the UPTD Office of the Atsj District Education Office.
“The fire burned the Mess Bank Papua building of the Atsj Unit and the UPTD Office of the Atsj District Education Office,” said AKBP Wahyu Basuki to reporters, Thursday (1/29/2026).
According to the Police Chief, the fire was first known by a Papuan Bank employee named Maxi Ndun (46). The witness woke up from his sleep after hearing a loud explosion coming from one of the Bank Papua official houses.
“Based on the witness statement on behalf of Maxi Ndun, he woke up after hearing a loud explosion that came from one of the official houses of Bank Papua owned by Adith’s brother,” he explained.
After hearing the explosion, witnesses then saw that the fire had grown and burned the buildings around the mess. The witness then tried to save himself and reported the incident to the local residents and the authorities.
Police officers and related agencies immediately went to the scene to carry out security and help with the fire extinguishing process. Until now, the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation by the police, including tracing the source of the explosion that was heard before the fire grew.
There are no reports of casualties in the incident. However, the material loss is estimated to be quite large considering that both buildings and a number of facilities inside were heavily damaged by the fire.
The Asmat Police appealed to the public to remain calm and not speculate about the cause of the fire, and fully hand over the investigation process to the police.
