5 injured, hundreds evacuated after blaze at Indonesia oil refinery
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February 08, 2023

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 08, 2023
5 injured, hundreds evacuated after blaze at Indonesia oil refinery

World+Biz

Reuters
29 March, 2021, 11:00 am
Last modified: 29 March, 2021, 11:07 am

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5 injured, hundreds evacuated after blaze at Indonesia oil refinery

The fire was concentrated in the refinery's storage units, and there had been no impact on the processing plant

Reuters
29 March, 2021, 11:00 am
Last modified: 29 March, 2021, 11:07 am
Smoke rises during fire at Pertamina's oil refinery in Balongan, Indramayu regency, West Java province, Indonesia, March 29, 2021 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Dedhez Anggara/ via REUTERS
Smoke rises during fire at Pertamina's oil refinery in Balongan, Indramayu regency, West Java province, Indonesia, March 29, 2021 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Dedhez Anggara/ via REUTERS

Indonesian state oil company Pertamina said on Monday it has shut its Balongan oil refinery in West Java as it battles to control a massive fire that broke out overnight, injuring five people.

About 950 nearby residents had been evacuated, Pertamina said, with videos shared on social media showing huge flames engulfing the 125,000 barrels per day facility, while a large explosion can be heard.

The fire started just after midnight, local media reported, while Pertamina said in a statement it broke out during bad weather. It was conducting "oil flow control" to prevent any further spread.

"The cause of the fire is unknown, but during the incident there was heavy rain and lightning," it said.

#BREAKINGNEWS Massive explosion occurred at the Balongan oil refinery, in the #Indramayu area of West Java province. The explosion was heard up to a radius of dozens of kilometres from the epicentre. The cause behind the massive blast is still unclear. #Indonesia pic.twitter.com/kIC0rH5yBW— International Leaks (@Global_Leaks) March 29, 2021

Pertamina spokesman Ifki Sukarya said five people were being treated in hospital for burns, adding that some were passing near the refinery when the fire broke out. No Pertamina staff were hurt, he said.

The fire was concentrated in the refinery's storage units, and there had been no impact on the processing plant, Pertamina said.

Balongan, one of Pertamina's biggest refineries, processes crude oil from the Duri and Minas fields in Riau province and supplies fuel to Jakarta and the western regions of Java island.

Television footage showed the fire still raging on Monday morning and a massive column of black smoke rising from the site, which is about 225 km (140 miles) east of the capital Jakarta.

tw // massive explosion , fire

woke up and got a bad news, massive explosion at an oil refinery in Indramayu, Indonesia.
sending all my condolences and pray for all victim. stay safe everyone.
pic.twitter.com/iUsPJeNGEc— ?? (@AlenaJaeger) March 28, 2021

West Java police will be involved in the investigation into the cause of the fire, police spokesman Erdi Chaniago told Reuters.

"We are securing the location at the moment, since the fire is still going. We can't examine the scene yet, cooling down needed to be conducted first by Pertamina," he said.

A nearby resident told Metro TV she was awoken by a pungent smell of oil fumes and saw lightning strikes in the sky.

"We smelled a strong fuel scent first, so strong that my nose hurt, while we heard lightning strikes," said Susi, who gave only one name

"Suddenly the sky was orange," she said.

The refinery is expected to receive about 600,000 barrels of Rabi crude from Gabon onboard tanker Aristodimos on April 10, shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon showed.

Pertamina's Cilacap refinery in Central Java should be able to help meet any supply shortage in the short term, but repairs could take months depending on the damage, Mamit Setiawan, executive director of think tank Energy Watch said.

"I hope Pertamina maintains a good quick response, both in fire mitigation and in fuel supply to the community," he said.

Top News

Pertamina / Indonesia / oil refinery / Fire accident / Explosion / fire

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