JAKARTA: At least 17 people were killed and 50 injured after a massive fire broke out at a fuel depot in Plumpang in North Jakarta last night, officials said.
The fire broke out at the depot of state-owned oil company Pertamina at around 8.20 pm, followed by a series of ear-shattering explosions that can be heard about one kilometre away.
Residents were forced to flee their houses after a fire spread through a densely populated area in Koja’s neighbourhood area, said North Jakarta Police chief Gidion Arif Setyawanan.
The injured were taken to several nearby hospitals on ambulances from the area, and patients with minor burns were treated and released.
Roughly 250 firefighters, 51 emergency vehicles and dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene, said the city’s firefighting department chief Satriadi Gunawan.
Authorities also deployed police and military personnel to support fire suppression efforts and evacuate residents. The blazes were doused by around 10.30 pm.
Pertamina’s spokesperson Eko Kristiawan said the incident would not disrupt fuel supply, as the fire broke out at the depot’s fuel receiving pipeline.
Pertamina Plumpang has a capacity of 300,000 kilolitres and supplies 25 per cent of Indonesia’s fuel needs, particularly the Greater Jakarta area. It previously experienced a fire in 2009, killing one person.