Semarang, Indonesia—A catastrophic explosion at an informal fireworks storage depot flattened three residential homes Thursday afternoon, killing four workers inside the illegal manufacturing compound. The detonation occurred at 4:45 PM in a densely populated neighborhood where explosive materials were being mixed without industrial safety permits. The shockwave pulverized the brick structures of the main site and shattered windows across a one-hundred-meter radius.

Fire disaster teams fought for over an hour to control the resulting chemical fires as unexploded gunpowder caches continued to detonate periodically. Thick sulfurous smoke filled the narrow residential streets, causing breathing difficulties for dozens of evacuees who fled into open school yards. Rescue personnel had to manually clear collapsed concrete slabs and smoldering roof beams to reach the victims.

Search crews recovered the bodies of four facility workers from beneath the primary blast crater before nightfall. Medical examiners stated that the victims sustained catastrophic thermal injuries from the sudden chemical flash. Neighbors confirmed the deceased were local residents hired by the property owner to assemble commercial explosives ahead of regional holiday celebrations.

Local police confirmed that the depot was operating entirely outside of municipal zoning regulations and lacked standard chemical containment infrastructure. The storage layout placed highly volatile potassium nitrate compounding elements directly adjacent to primitive drying areas using open heat sources. Investigators believe a single friction spark during the mixing phase triggered the entire stockpile.

Dozens of families whose homes suffered structural cracks or broken roofs were moved to temporary tents managed by local social services. Structural engineers are inspecting surviving adjacent buildings to determine if the foundations were compromised by the subterranean shockwave. Municipal utility crews completely isolated the local electrical grid to prevent secondary short-circuits.

The owner of the illegal property fled the neighborhood immediately following the initial blast and is currently the subject of an active police manhunt. Authorities have frozen the individual’s local business registry listings and are questioning relatives to determine his current location. Charges of criminal negligence resulting in multiple fatalities are being prepared by the district prosecutor.

Community elders expressed immense anger during an evening briefing, stating they had previously filed complaints regarding the smell of chemical sulfur emanating from the residential plot. Local administrative offices often lack the enforcement personnel required to inspect private residential properties suspected of housing clandestine workshops. This regulatory gap continues to expose crowded neighborhoods to severe industrial risks.

Rubble removal operations will continue through the night utilizing small bobcat excavators and manual labor teams under portable floodlights. Police forensic units are collecting soil samples and chemical residue from the epicenter to identify the exact chemical ratios used at the site. The block remains under a strict military and police guard as light rain begins to mix with the ash.