Currently, there is a huge fire happening in Jakarta. An oil depot near an area called Plumpang, owned by Pertamina, exploded and caused a massive fire. Usually I get this news late, but this particular accident happened near my parents-in-law’s home in North Jakarta. My mother-in-law called me around 7 AM to inform us of the situation. She wasn’t being evacuated, so that’s a relief. My wife called them again and they mentioned it started raining, so that might help control the blaze a little.
The local newspaper’s website, Kompas, has coverage of the Plumpang fire. The reports were:
- Started at 9:15 PM local time (or 6:15 AM Los Angeles Time)
- Tank #24 exploded.
- Fire reached 25 meters (or about 82 feet).
- Caused traffic jams, as roads were closed.
- 37 fire fighter units were on the scene.
- They were using clean water to fight the flames, instead of the dirty river water.
Cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but a terrorist attack is suspected. Jakarta police had arrested a few people back in October 2008, under the suspicion of plotting to destroy the oil depot. It looks like they either have a copycat crime, or the terrorist group has finally succeeded.
My prayers go out to my extended family, the local residents, and the firefighters trying to contain this fire.
Photo Credit: Kompas Images
Building IT
Jot It Down
It’s blazing. You can still feel the heat 150 meters from the depot… Terrible.
Actually, almost all news here report that the fire reached 150 meters high, creating an impression of early dusk to the night sky of Tanahmerah…
bagas´s last blog post..Mengenang Kebodohan, Kegembiraan, dan Kenangan SMA
Video is telling that it was scary
Hey Bagas,
I can imagine it’s quite a scary sight. I experienced it here with the brush fires. The fire and smoke was so thick, it looked dark at noon. I know the feeling.
I also pray that the fire was contained and that your family survived unscathed by that horrendous scene. I also hope the terrorists responsible for this unspeakable act were brought to justice.