Indonesia oil refinery aims to restart days after massive blaze
Police suspect leakage prior to fire where 5 people were injured and hundreds evacuated
Jakarta: Indonesian state oil company Pertamina said on Monday it hoped to restore operations at its Balongan oil refinery in West Java in four or five days, as firefighters worked to extinguish a massive blaze that broke out overnight, injuring six people.
Pertamina shut the plant and evacuated about 950 nearby residents, with videos shared on social media showing huge flames engulfing the 125,000 barrels per day facility, while a large explosion could be heard.
Pertamina chief executive Nicke Widyawati told reporters the fire was concentrated in the refinery’s storage tanks and there had been no impact on the processing plant.
No disruption
“The main equipment at the refinery is not affected,” she said. “We hope the plant can be operational again soon after we put out the fire so there are no disruptions to supply.”
Efforts to estinguish the blaze were continuing, she said, adding that the fire had been contained to a small area and she’s optimistic it will be put out soon.
The fire started just after midnight during bad weather, Pertamina said, although the cause was currently unknown.
Six people were being treated in hospital for burns, a company statement said. No Pertamina staff were hurt.