At least 17 killed in fire at Indonesia fuel storage depot | News

Two children are among the victims and 50 other people have been admitted to hospital, some with severe burns, fire official says.

A fire at a fuel depot in Indonesia’s capital has killed at least 17 people, injured dozens of others and forced the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents.

Officials said at least 260 firefighters and 52 fire engines were struggling to contain the blaze on Friday at a fuel storage station operated by state-run oil and gas company Pertamina, near a densely populated area in the Tanah Merah neighbourhood in North Jakarta.

Satriadi Gunawan, who heads Jakarta’s fire and rescue department, said people living in the residential area were still being evacuated and were being taken to a nearby village hall and a mosque.

“The fire caused several explosions and quickly spread to residential houses,” Gunawan said.

He said at least 17 people were dead, including two children, and 50 had been hospitalised, some with severe burns.

A preliminary investigation showed the fire broke out when a pipeline ruptured during heavy rain, possibly from a lightning strike, said Eko Kristiawan, Pertamina’s area manager.

While the station supplies 25 percent of Indonesia’s fuel needs, he said the fire would not disrupt the country’s fuel supply.

Indonesia’s minister of state-owned enterprises, Erick Thohir, expressed his condolences to the victims and their families and ordered Pertamina to thoroughly investigate the fire and focus on quickly assisting the community.

“There must be an operational evaluation in the future. I’ll continue to monitor this case,” Thohir said in a video statement.

Pertamina chief executive officer Nicke Widyawati apologised for the fire and said it would “reflect internally to avoid similar incidents from ever occurring again”.

The fuel station has a capacity of more than 300,000 kilolitres, according to the country’s energy ministry.