At least 16 people, including two children, died in a fire at a fuel depot in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. At least another 50 people were injured in the fire that broke out last night (local time) at the Plumpang depot of state oil company Pertamina, Army Chief of Staff Dudung Abdurachman told reporters. The fire is already under control.
Cause of fire is being investigated
According to Abdurachman and the Pertamina group, the cause of the fire is still being investigated. Several densely populated residential areas in the area were therefore deforested. The massive fire broke out around 8pm local time (2pm CET) at the camp in North Jakarta. Television footage showed screaming people fleeing through narrow streets with flames raging behind them. Firefighters could also be seen rushing to the scene as paramedics took the bags to hospitals.
According to the main fire department of the metropolis, more than 250 firefighters were mobilized to fight the flames. According to North Jakarta Fire Chief Satriadi Gunawan, firefighters were initially told that a pipe had burst in the warehouse. Emergency services acted quickly to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby residential areas.