At least 16 senior citizens were killed Sunday when a fire ripped through an Indonesian retirement home.
The fire in the single-story house in Manado in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi Province started while the residents were asleep, police confirmed Monday.
Several people living near the nursing home saw smoke billowing around 8 p.m. while neighbors reportedly helped rescue several occupants.
"The team on the ground has confirmed that the death toll currently is 16," North Sulawesi police spokesperson Alamsyah Hasibuan said. "Fifteen of them were burned to death, while one victim’s body remains intact."
Firefighters with six trucks needed more than two hours to extinguish the blaze after nearby residents reported the fire to emergency services, officials said.
