JAKARTA, INDONESIA (Reuters) – Rescuers and firefighters in Indonesia found dozens under the rubble of charred homes and buildings on Saturday after a massive fire spread from a fuel storage facility in the capital, killing at least 18 people. We searched for more than one missing person.
Operated by state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, the Prang Pang fuel storage station is located near a densely populated area in the Tanah Merah district of North Jakarta. supplies his 25% of Indonesia’s fuel needs.
Firefighters said the fire raged through the neighborhood for more than two hours before being extinguished by at least 260 firefighters and 52 fire trucks just before midnight on Friday.
Footage showed hundreds of people panicking as black smoke and orange flames filled the sky. Pertamina’s West Java regional manager Eko Kristiawan said preliminary investigations revealed that the pipeline burst during heavy rains and the fire was probably caused by a lightning strike.
A local resident near the garage said the strong smell of gasoline made him nauseous, then thunder struck him twice and a large explosion occurred around 8 p.m.
Her mother of three, Sri Haryati, said the fire spread about 20 minutes later and caused panic.
“I cried and immediately grabbed my valuable papers and fled with her husband and her children,” Hariyati said, as orange flames erupted from the warehouse and small explosions echoed through the neighborhood.
Rescuers were looking for 16 people reported missing or separated from their families in the chaos. About 42 people were treated in five hospitals, some of them in serious condition. National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said more than 1,300 people had been forced from their homes and sought shelter in 10 government offices, a Red Cross command post and a sports stadium.
He said investigators were still working to determine the cause of the fire and were interviewing dozens of witnesses.
Pertamina director Nicke Widyawati apologized and said the company would support the community and cooperate with the investigation.
In his statement, Mr Widiwati said “a thorough internal assessment and reflection will be carried out to prevent a similar incident from happening again”, adding that the company is ensuring a safe supply of fuel oil. .
On Saturday, grieving relatives gathered at the police hospital morgue in east Jakarta to try to identify their loved ones. Officials said the victims were indistinguishably burned and could only be identified by DNA and dental records.
In 2014, a fire at the same tank he farm destroyed at least 40 homes, but no casualties were reported.
Erick Thohir, Indonesia’s state-owned enterprise minister, told reporters the government would re-establish safe zones in residential areas away from important objects.
He said the incident showed the Prangpang area was not safe for the community and the government was planning to move the fuel storage facility to Tanjung Priok port in northern Jakarta.
