The fire started at 01:45 local time, when a small fire occurred in sector C2 of the prison.[7] A prison employee, Iyan Sofyan, heard screams from inside the sector's cells.[8] Several other wardens and guards tried to evacuate the entire sector, but were only able to evacuate 20 inmates.[8] According to the prison's protocols, the inmates were kept in locked cells, and as the fire spread the prison employees did not manage to unlock every room.