Oil Refinery in Indonesia Catches Fire, Prompting an Evacuation

Firefighters in Indonesia are working to put out a massive fire that has broken out at one of the country's largest oil refineries.

The fire broke out at the Balongan refinery, run by state oil firm Pertamina, at 00:45 local time on Monday (17:45 GMT Sunday).

At least five people are injured and around 950 residents have been evacuated to safety. A handful of people have been reported missing.

The cause of the fire remains unclear.

TV footage and videos on social media showed the fire still raging on Monday morning with a plume of smoke rising high above the refinery, located in West Java province.

"We smelled a strong fuel scent first, so strong that my nose hurt, while we heard lightning strikes," one nearby resident told local news outlet Metro TV, according to a Reuters report.

According to the regional disaster management agency, five people were being treated in hospital for serious burns with another 15 with minor burns.

A 'disastrous incident'
Jerome Wirawan, BBC News Indonesia

The Balongan Refinery is one of Indonesia's largest refineries and also one of its most crucial, as it feeds fuel and petrochemicals to the greater Jakarta area.

Questions have now been raised on how this incident will affect plastics and chemicals businesses and factories, though Pertamina has told the public that "fuel delivery to the public is undisturbed and currently still ongoing".

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Already many are demanding answers on how such a disastrous incident could happen to a state-owned refinery.

One politician, Kurtubi, pointed out in a TV interview that Balongan refinery, which has been in operation since 1994, is relatively new compared with other Pertamina refineries.

Mr Kurtubi, who is a member of the House of Representatives' commission for energy affairs, also demanded an evaluation of the distances between oil refineries and residential zones.

On social media, there were calls for a thorough investigation. "Was there sabotage or is this a genuine accident?" asked one Indonesian netizen.

Others questioned whether standard operating procedure had been followed. "Otherwise, the person who caused this must be taken to court," said another netizen.

Residents from a nearby village have been evacuated to several different camps with the relief efforts further complicated by Covid-19 measures.

Pertamina said the cause of the fire was unknown, but that it started during heavy rain and lightning.

In a press conference later on Monday, the firm said the fire had not damaged the refinery's processing capabilities and that operations could hopefully return to normal in the next five days.

The fire was focused on the refinery tanks, with no damage to the processing plant, said Reuters, citing Pertamina Chief Executive Officer Nicke Widyawati.

The oil firm also said it was shutting down the refinery and conducting "oil flow control" to prevent any further spread.

The Balongan refinery, which is located approximately 200km (125 miles) east of the capital Jakarta and measures at least 340 hectares, can process 125,000 barrels per day.

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The state-owned oil company, Pertamina, which operates the refinery on Java island, suggested the fire may have been caused by a lightning strike. No deaths were reported.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — An oil refinery on Java island in Indonesia caught fire early Monday, sending flames and smoke towering into the sky, injuring at least five people and prompting an evacuation of nearly 1,000 nearby residents.

The blaze at the Balongan refinery in West Java Province, which started shortly after midnight, was visible for miles and burned through the night.

In videos of the fire shared on social media, the sound of an explosion can be heard at the facility, which is about 110 miles east of Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.

Pertamina, the state-owned company that operates the refinery, said that hundreds of people had been evacuated from the area and suggested that the fire may have been started by a lightning strike.

“The cause of the fire is not known with certainty, but at the time of the incident, it was raining heavily accompanied by lightning,” the company said in a statement.

Ifki Sukarya, a Pertamina spokesman, said three giant storage tanks had caught fire and, nearly 10 hours later, crews were still trying to extinguish the blaze and keep it from spreading to a fourth tank.

All five people who were injured lived near the refinery, he said. Residents reported a strong smell of fuel, which caused some people to become ill.

Two years ago, the company was responsible for another disaster when crude oil leaked from an offshore well and contaminated a 12-mile stretch of West Java shoreline between the refinery and Jakarta. Environmentalists criticized the company for acting too slowly to contain the spill.

The company said the fire would not jeopardize its fuel supply. The refinery mainly supplies the Jakarta area. The company has enough gasoline on hand to supply the country for four weeks.

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