Elderly residents trapped: Indonesia's Manado retirement home catches fire; 16 killed

A fire at a retirement home in the Indonesian city of Manado on Sulawesi island killed at least 16 people, a local police official said on Monday.The blaze broke out at the Werdha Damai retirement home and was fully extinguished late on Sunday. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, police official Alamsyah P. Hasibuan told state news agency Antara.Television footage broadcast by Metro TV showed flames ripping through the building and lighting up the night sky, as residents appeared to help an elderly person escape from the burning structure.Jimmy Rotinsulu, chief of Manado’s fire department, told Metro TV that many of the home’s residents, most of whom were elderly, were trapped inside the building during the fire. He added that three other people suffered burn injuries.Emergency services were deployed to the scene, while officials continued to assess the damage and account for those affected.