Newly emerged video footage shows the devastating fire that broke out on Friday at a fuel storage station in Indonesia’s Jakarta. The incident claimed at least thirteen lives, Kompas TV Channel reported.
The station was operated by Indonesia’s state energy company Pertamina in the capital Jakarta. The tally displayed at the scene by the city’s fire station showed the tragic result.
Watch the video of fire at Jakarta fuel storage station
The explosions are visible in the videos and there seems to be panic among the people, who are seen running. There are men, women, and children – some of whom are on foot and others on their vehicles.
The horrific situation can be seen in the multiple videos being shared on social media.
JUST IN – Massive fire at fuel storage station belonging to state-owned energy company Pertamina at North Jakarta, Indonesia – multiple people dead. pic.twitter.com/zSovcWb3AJ
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) March 3, 2023
The incident occurred after 8 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) and caused panic among residents of the densely-populated areas nearby, Reuters reported. Social media footage showed explosions, which Reuters could not immediately authenticate.
Footage from local media shows some of them fleeing with their belongings.
The call center of Jakarta’s main fire station dispatched 51 units to the Plumpang area in North Jakarta, where the fuel storage station is located.
Official at station says the fire spread to nearby houses
According to Satriadi Gunawan, an official at the North Jakarta fire station, the fire had started to spread to surrounding houses.
Eko Kristiawan, a Pertamina communications officer, confirmed the incident, Jakarta Post reported.
“Efforts to mitigate [the incident] and evacuate workers as well as residents around the location are being made in coordination with all relevant parties,” he said.
A spokesperson for a local hospital near the station said that ten people had been brought in. However, they didn’t give any details on their condition.
Pertamina issued a statement that the cause of the fire is still being investigated, and evacuation is ongoing.
According to the country’s energy ministry, the fuel station, located in Jakarta, has a capacity of over 300,000 kiloliters.
In January 2009, a fire erupted at Plumpang depot. Multiple storage tanks holding approximately 2 million liters of fuel were present. The blaze reached over 30 meters high and required the deployment of at least 47 fire trucks to extinguish it.
