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JAKARTA: Indonesian state oil company Pertamina said on Monday it closed its Balongan oil refinery in West Java as it struggles to control a massive fire that broke out overnight and left five people injured.
About 950 nearby residents were evacuated, Pertamina said, with videos shared on social media showing huge flames engulfing the 125,000 barrel-a-day facility, as a large explosion can be heard.
The fire started shortly after midnight, local media reported, while Pertamina said in a statement that it broke out during bad weather. I was doing an “oil flow check” to prevent further spread.
“The cause of the fire is unknown, but during the incident there was heavy rain and lightning,” he said.
Pertamina spokesman Ifki Sukarya said five people were being treated at the hospital for burns, adding that some were passing near the refinery when the fire broke out. No Pertamina staff member was injured, he said.
The fire was concentrated in the refinery’s storage units and there was no impact on the processing plant, Pertamina said.
Balongan, one of Pertamina’s largest refineries, processes crude oil from the Duri and Minas fields in Riau province and supplies fuel to Jakarta and the western regions of the island of Java.
Television footage showed the fire still burning Monday morning and a huge plume of black smoke billowing from the site, which is about 140 miles (225 kilometers) east of the capital Jakarta.
West Java police will be involved in investigating the cause of the fire, police spokesman Erdi Chaniago told Reuters.
“We are securing the location at this time, as the fire still continues. We cannot examine the scene yet, the cooling must be done first by Pertamina, ”he said.
A nearby resident told Metro TV that she was awakened by a pungent smell of oil fumes and saw lightning bolts in the sky.
“We first smelled a strong smell of fuel, so strong that my nose hurt, while listening to the rays,” said Susi, who gave only one name.
“Suddenly the sky turned orange,” he said.
The refinery is expected to receive around 600,000 barrels of Rabi crude from the Aristodimos tanker aboard Gabon on April 10, Refinitiv Eikon shipping data showed.
Pertamina’s Cilacap refinery in Central Java should be able to help fill any short-term supply shortages, but repairs could take months depending on the damage, said Mamit Setiawan, executive director of think tank Energy Watch.
“I hope that Pertamina maintains a good rapid response, both in fire mitigation and in supplying fuel to the community,” he said. – Reuters
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