Following a fire at Pertamina’s Plumpang depot, 60 individuals sustained injuries and hundreds were forced to evacuate.
The fuel storage depot fire in Jakarta has claimed the lives of 17 people, including two children, while three individuals remain unaccounted for after the incident on Friday night at Pertamina’s Plumpang depot in the northern part of the city. As a result, Indonesian officials have called for a comprehensive review of “all fuel facilities and infrastructures” throughout the country. Additionally, 60 people were injured and hundreds were forced to evacuate due to the fire.
The fire resulted in 60 people being injured, with numerous individuals suffering from severe burns, and hundreds of residents from nearby residential areas being forced to evacuate. Swastono Aji, a witness, recounted that the incident began with an overpowering smell that made it difficult to breathe, and while they were evacuating the area, a loud explosion suddenly erupted.
On Saturday, Indonesia’s Vice-President, Ma’ruf Amin, visited the site of the incident and verified that 17 individuals had died while 60 others had sustained injuries. He recommended relocating the depot from residential areas to enhance safety and urged the restructuring of the surrounding area to meet the criteria of a suitable neighborhood in the capital. Meanwhile, Listyo Sigit, the national police chief, also present at the scene, reported that three people were still unaccounted for.
Following several recent incidents of fires, senior officials have demanded a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire at the fuel storage depot and a review of the country’s energy facilities. On Saturday, Sugeng Suparwoto, the head of the parliament’s energy commission, told Metro TV that an audit of all fuel facilities and infrastructures, particularly tanks and refineries, was necessary after multiple fires. In 2021, there was a fire at the Balongan refinery in West Java, which is also owned by Pertamina and is one of Indonesia’s largest facilities of this kind. Additionally, the same depot experienced fires in 2009 and 2014, which spread to 40 nearby houses, but no fatalities were recorded in either of those incidents.
On Friday night, Erick Thohir, the minister of state-owned enterprises, posted on Instagram, stating that he had directed Pertamina to investigate the incident immediately and that their priority was to assist the affected individuals. He further added that an operational review would be necessary in the future. The following morning, homes adjacent to the Pertamina facility were destroyed and charred, with burnt-out cars lining the streets. In the midst of the wreckage, a child looked on as emergency workers carried one of the deceased in a body bag.
Jamilul Asror, a witness of the incident, described the scene as an unimaginable mini apocalypse, comparing the sound of the explosion to that of a bomb. He further called for the relocation of individuals, as he believed Pertamina was being reckless by having the depot in close proximity to residential areas. On Friday night, videos captured individuals screaming and attempting to escape through narrow roads while the fiery blaze illuminated the sky in the background. The fireball was visible across the skyline of north Jakarta, accompanied by the sound of sirens blaring in the background.
Both the military and Pertamina announced that they were conducting an investigation into the cause of the tragic incident. Satriadi Gunawan, the chief of Jakarta’s fire and rescue department, stated that initially, the firefighters had received reports of a pipe burst at the depot. Nicke Widyawati, the CEO of the oil and gas company, confirmed that the country’s fuel supply had not been impacted.
The acting governor of Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono, announced that the government would bear the expenses of treatment for the injured individuals, many of whom were still receiving medical care on Saturday. The North Jakarta Red Cross reported that 342 people had been evacuated, and four temporary shelters had been established for those displaced by the incident.
