The demolition work at Bali’s Bingin Beach has been temporarily halted after a major breakout on the demolition site.
Work to remove buildings deemed to be encroaching on state-owned land and violating spatial planning laws began on 21st July 2025, with the fire tearing through the area throughout Monday, 18th August.
The demolitions at Bingin Beach have been one of the most contentious issues in Bali in recent months. Many of the 45 buildings issued with demolition notices had been open and operational for more than 20 years.
Following an investigation by the Bali Civil Police, as ordered by the Badung Regency Government and Bali Provincial Government, it was discovered that dozens of longstanding tourism businesses at Bingin Beach were found to be operating from premises encroaching onto state-owned land or violating spatial planning laws.
On 21st July 2025, more than 500 government agency officials and construction workers descended on the beach resort area and began demolition work. The occasion was overseen by Bali Governor Wayan Koster, who himself could be seen using a small mallet to hack away at some of the buildings.
While a legal battle remains ongoing in the background, and community members and business owners from the Bingin Beach area are in dialogue with the Regent of Badung, Wayan Adi Arnawan, Monday’s fire has left the already devastated community reeling.
According to reports from the scene, the fire broke out at the Blue Ocean building, which has already been partially demolished. The fire soon tore through neighboring buildings until huge plumes of smoke could be seen from the Pecatu cliffs above the beach and across the bay.
The Chief of Denpasar Police, AKP Ketut Sukadi, told reporters that the fire first broke out around 10 am and was fully extinguished 3 hours later. The debris from the surrounding demolition work slowly caught fire and smouldered until it fully ignited around 3 hours later.
Much of the demolition debris was easily flammable material, such as wood and thatched roofing. Yesterday’s strong winds are also reported to have made the situation worse, though there have been no reports of injuries or fatalities.
One construction worker, who wished to remain anonymous, suspected that the fire was sparked by a spark from a welding machine, as in the hours before the fire, demolition workers had been spotted by local community members cutting metal using a welding machine and a gas cylinder.
He told reporters that he saw the fire first break out and warned that urgent action needed to be taken. “The fire was still small, like a campfire. I warned them, but they continued. Worried, I immediately contacted Jro Bendesa [Village Head] to follow up with the relevant agencies. If I didn’t confirm, I was afraid people would think someone had deliberately set fire to the fire and then re-lit it.”
Within minutes of the fire taking hold, beachgoers were sharing footage of the scene live on social media. Due to the limited access routes to Bingin Beach, fire crews were unable to access the fire as quickly as they would have liked.
AKP Sukadi told reporters, “The terrain made it difficult for the fire brigade to enter the area to extinguish the fire that had spread and ignited at several points.”
One construction worker told reporters, “All demolition activities have been halted until the situation is declared safe.”
When contacted for comment, the Head of Pecatu Traditional Village, Made Sumerta, told reporters, “I don’t know the exact cause yet, so I cannot be sure. But I can assure you it wasn’t intentionally set on fire.”
Speaking separately, the Head of the Badung Regency Public Order Agency (Kasatpol PP), I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara, told reporters that the fire at Bingin Beach was initially small and was extinguished only after it had spread significantly.
He shared, “Hopefully, there won’t be another incident like this. Firefighters are also on standby, but because of the distance to the location, they’re on standby as a precaution.”
He added, “There were definitely no casualties, as the building was no longer occupied, and valuables had been taken by the former owners. Regardless, it will still be razed. We regret this fire, but it’s a lesson for us to be careful in our work.” He concluded by confirming that 40% of the planned demolition work is already completed.
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