Fire and Destruction of a Traditional Village in Sumba (Indonesia)
Kampung Adat Waru Wora in West Sumba is a village that suffered a devastating fire on 5 December 2025 that destroyed almost all of its traditional houses, displacing 41 families and erasing a major node of Sumbanese living heritage.
Waru Wora (often also written Yaru/Yaro Wora) is a traditional village in Desa Patiala Bawa, Lamboya District, Sumba Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, known for its clustered Uma houses with very tall thatched “tower” roofs and timber–bamboo walls.
Before the fire, the settlement comprised about 36 traditional houses arranged around megalithic tombs and ritual spaces, representing one of the more intact examples of Lamboya’s ancestral village pattern and ritual architecture.
Causes and ignition
Official statements indicate the fire was first noticed when residents who had come to collect wood for building a pig pen saw flames on the rear roof area of a house belonging to a resident identified locally as Marsel Yeru.
Police and local authorities have stated that there were no casualties and that a criminal investigation is ongoing into the exact cause, but initial information points to accidental ignition rather than deliberate burning.
Fire evolution and firefighting
Witness accounts describe residents initially attempting manual suppression by climbing onto roofs and pulling down burning thatch, using only basic tools and water containers, but the thatched roofs and close spacing of houses allowed flames to spread within minutes.
The fire started around 16:00 and progressed rapidly through the line of adjoining houses; it was only brought under control at about 17:45 after joint efforts by villagers and emergency services using three water‑tanker trucks.
Damages and human impact
Reports from police and local media converge on a total of 28 traditional houses affected, with 26 completely destroyed and 2 partially burned, leaving 41 families and 139 residents without homes.
Although no fatalities were recorded, material losses include housing, ritual heirlooms, textiles, and everyday objects tied to clan identity; commentators in Indonesia have described the incident as not only a social disaster but also a severe cultural loss for Sumba.
Reflections and heritage implications
Commentaries in Indonesian and expatriate media frame the event as part of a pattern of repeated fires in Sumba’s traditional villages, where highly combustible construction, dense layouts, reliance on open flame, and limited fire protection create systemic risk to intangible and tangible heritage.
Local and national calls after the fire emphasize the need for integrated protection: discreet fire‑safety measures, emergency water access, documentation and 3D recording of traditional houses, and funding mechanisms for culturally appropriate reconstruction that respects customary law.
