Three workers dead after jumping from sixth floor of burning soap factory in Indonesia
Three construction workers died after jumping from the sixth floor of a burning soap factory in North Sumatra, Indonesia, while trying to escape the flames and smoke. The fire broke out at PT Evyap Sabun Indonesia on 3 September, with the cause still under investigation.
INDONESIA: Three construction workers died after jumping from the sixth floor of a burning soap factory in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province on Thursday (3 September), police said.
The fire broke out at about 10.10am local time at PT Evyap Sabun Indonesia in the Sei Mangkei Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Simalungun Regency, according to Simalungun Police public relations chief Assistant Commissioner Verry Purba.
The three men were working as welding assistants for PT Nirwana Mahanu Putra, a construction contractor at the factory.
Police said they fell from the sixth floor while trying to escape after flames and smoke reached their work area.
The victims were identified as Nasri Efendi, 43, Muhammad Rifaldi, 26, and Sumadi, 39. All three were from Batu Bara Regency, North Sumatra.
Fire spreads through upper floors
According to Purba, the fire was believed to have first emerged from the third or fourth floor, accompanied by a loud bang.
The flames subsequently spread towards the fifth and sixth floors, where the three workers were carrying out welding work.
As the fire and smoke reached their area, the workers attempted to escape by jumping from the building.
The three were taken to a hospital but were pronounced dead from injuries sustained in the fall.
Firefighters deployed 13 fire trucks to battle the blaze, which consumed a large portion of the factory.
The Regional Disaster Management Agency of Simalungun Regency said firefighting and cooling operations continued after authorities managed to begin controlling the fire in the afternoon.
Cause of fire under investigation
Authorities have not yet determined what caused the fire.
Simalungun Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency head Budiman Silalahi said authorities were still focused on containing the blaze and preventing it from spreading to other parts of the factory or nearby industrial facilities.
At the time, officials had also not been able to enter parts of the factory to conduct a full search, leaving uncertainty over whether there could be other victims.
Emergency services were deployed to the scene as firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control.
Factory had operated for two months
PT Evyap Sabun Indonesia had only recently begun operations at the Sei Mangkei SEZ.
According to a press release from Indonesia’s National Council for Special Economic Zones, the factory officially began operating on 2 July 2026 as part of Evyap Life Chemistry Group, a Turkish-based company.
The company invested US$130 million in the Sei Mangkei SEZ to establish a soap manufacturing plant using palm oil as its main raw material.
The factory had been under construction since 2023 before beginning operations in July.
The fire and the deaths of the three workers are now being investigated by the authorities.
