The State-Owned Enterprises Minister has asked Pertamina to thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire at the fuel terminal in Plumpang, North Jakarta. Pertamina ensures that the supply of fuel will not be disrupted.
By
ADITYA PUTRA PERDANA, HAMZIRWAN, CHRISTOPERUS WAHYU HARYO PRIYO
·4 minutes read
FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN
A number of officers evacuated victims of the fire that occurred on Jalan Tanah Merah Bawah, Koja District, North Jakarta, Friday (3/3/2023).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A massive blaze broke out at an integrated fuel terminal of the state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina in Plumpang, North Jakarta, on Friday night (3/3/2023). Seventeen people were killed and at least 50 others were injured in the fire. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
The fire, which started at 8.20 p.m., spread to densely populated settlements within about 1 kilometer near the fuel storage.
Residents heard two explosions during the incident. “The second explosion was about 15 minutes away. The first explosion was bigger," said Saini, a resident of neighborhood unit 007, community unit 001, Rawabadak Selatan, Koja, North Jakarta, who lived in a house located about 150 meters from the last house that caught fire.
Head of the Rawabadak Selatan sub-district, Suhaina, said there were five community units that were located close to Pertamina’s fuel storage, namely community units 001, 008, 009, 010 and 011. The evacuation of the residents was carried out by firefighters, members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) as well as members of the city civil service police units.
Community unit 009 and 001 were the most affected by the fire. “At first we smelled gasoline. The smell was very strong. Then at 07.30 a.m. we began to evacuate the residents. However, there was a problem in evacuating the elderly, because the streets were filled with jostling residents," said Abdus, head of community unit 009.
About 55 fire engines with 250 personnel were deployed to the location. The fire affected an area of 1.5 hectares. Efforts to extinguish the fire were hampered by a shortage of water source, limited road access, crowds of residents and darkness at the location.
As of 11:25 p.m., the death toll reached 17 people, including two children. All the victims had been evacuated. About 50 people who were injured in the fire were treated at a number of hospitals, including the Port Hospital, Tugu Hospital, Mulyasari Hospital, Koja Hospital, Firdaus Hospital and Yarsi Hospital.
FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN
Firefighters are trying to put out the fire on Jalan Tanah Merah Bawah, Koja District, North Jakarta, Friday (3/3/2023).
Cause of fire
Chief of the North Jakarta Police, chief commissioner Gidion Arif Setyawan said the cause of the fire was not yet known. Officers were still focused on efforts to extinguish the fire and evacuate the victims, he added.
A number of senior officials took part in the efforts to deal with the fire, including chief of staff of the Indonesian Army, Gen. Dudung Abdurachman and acting governor of Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono.
Heru said his office had prepared a number of referral hospitals to treat victims. All medical expenses were borne by the Jakarta administration.
State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir expressed his deep condolences to the families of the residents who have died. He ordered Pertamina to thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident.
"We focus on and quickly save the community, and there must be an operational evaluation for the future. I will closely monitor the case," he said.
I can't say much yet. We are focused on extinguishing fires and protecting local residents.
Meanwhile, Pertamina has yet to confirm the cause or details of the installation that caught fire. The company is still focusing on extinguishing fires and evacuating affected workers and residents.
“I can't say much yet. We are focused on extinguishing fires and protecting local residents. We haven't seen the cause [of the fire]," said Irto Ginting, corporate secretary of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, which handles Pertamina’s fuel distribution.
Communication relations and CSR manager of Pertamina MOR III marketing unit, Eko Kristiawan, said currently efforts were still being focused on the handling and evacuation of both workers and residents around the site. The company is working closely with all parties related to the incident.
"Pertamina Patra Niaga for the West Java region is making every effort to deal with the incident that has occurred. The cause is still being investigated," said Eko via text message.
Based on Kompas records, the Integrated Fuel Terminal in Plumpang handles the fuel storage and distribution to a number of areas including Jakarta, Banten and West Java.
In Banten the distribution areas include Tangerang, South Tangerang, Pandeglang, Serang and Cilegon, while in West Java it covers Depok, Bogor, Bekasi, Karawang, Purwakarta, Bandung, West Bandung, Sukabumi and Cianjur. The Plumpang Fuel Terminal receives and distributes about 16,000 kiloliters of fuel per day. (Z06/Z17/Z07/)
