Jakarta, Indonesia — At least 15 people were killed and 16 others are still missing after a large fire broke out at a fuel storage depot in the nation's capital on Saturday. Indonesian rescuers and firefighters spent the day looking for potential victims among the charred remains of destroyed homes and buildings.

The state-run oil and gas company Pertamina's Plumpang fuel storage facility is located in North Jakarta's Tanah Merah neighborhood, close to a heavily populated area. 25% of Indonesia's fuel requirements are met by it.

Just before midnight on Friday, a fire that had been raging through the neighborhood for more than two hours was put out by at least 260 firefighters and 52 fire engines, according to fire officials. On Saturday, they were attempting to secure the area.

Hundreds of residents were seen running in panic in the late-Friday television broadcast of the fire as firefighters battled the blaze and thick plumes of black smoke and orange flames filled the sky.

According to a preliminary investigation, the fire started when a pipeline ruptured during a downpour, possibly as a result of a lightning strike, according to Eko Kristiawan, the area manager for Pertamina's western Java operations.

Residents who live close to the depot reported smelling a strong gasoline odor that made some people throw up, followed by two thunderclaps and a massive explosion at around eight o'clock.

The fire started spreading in their neighborhood about 20 minutes later, Sri Haryati, a mother of three children, claimed, prompting a sudden panic among locals.

I was sobbing when I quickly grabbed our important papers and fled with my husband and kids," Haryati recalled.

As orange flames leapt from the depot compound and columns of black smoke billowed, she claimed to have heard smaller blasts that reverberated throughout the residential neighborhood.

The death toll was reduced from 17 to 15, according to data from the Indonesian Red Cross command center, after it was discovered that some victims had been double-counted. 16 people were reported missing or separated from their families during the commotion, and rescuers are still looking for them. Five hospitals were treating 49 patients, some of whom were in critical condition.

Approximately 600 displaced people were being transported to temporary shelters at government buildings, a Red Cross command center, and a sports stadium, according to acting Jakarta governor Heru Budi Hartono.

The president and director of Pertamina, Nicke Widyawati, issued an apology for the incident and promised assistance to the affected communities.

She stated that in order to determine what started the fire at the depot, the company is closely collaborating with relevant organizations and law enforcement.

In a statement, Widyawati stated, "We will carry out a thorough evaluation and reflection internally to prevent similar incidents from happening again." The company also guaranteed that the supply of fuel oil would be secure.

The business will support the Cilacap and Balongan refineries, which are supplied with fuel by sea to the Tanjung Priok terminal in North Jakarta, by using fuel supplies from a number of Pertamina fuel terminals on Java island.

Grieving family members went to the morgue at a police hospital in eastern Jakarta on Saturday morning to identify loved ones as investigators attempted to piece together what happened. According to officials, the bodies were completely burned beyond recognition.

The Jakarta Police spokesperson, Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko, stated that because of the condition of the corpses, it was difficult to identify them. DNA and dental records were the only ways to positively identify them.

The second significant fire to occur at the Plumpang fuel depot was on Friday. At least 40 nearby homes were destroyed by fire in 2014, but there were no reported casualties.

Energy analyst Fahmi Radhi from Gajah Mada University urged Pertamina and the government to relocate the depot away from the neighborhood community settlements right away.

In an interview with Kompas TV, he stated, "Pertamina has been negligent by not using international standard security systems." He claimed that attempts to implement such a system have not been made since the 2014 fire and that routine inspections should be carried out to prevent further fires.

The board of directors of Pertamina should be immediately fired in order to atone for this deadliest fire, according to Radhi.

In the port city of Balikpapan, an oil spill in 2018 led to a fire that left five people dead and hundreds of people sick. Authorities claimed that a broken pipe being used by Pertamina to transfer crude oil was the source.

The largest oil refinery on Java's main island experienced a fire in March 2021 that forced the evacuation of 80 nearby residents and injured at least 20 others. One of six refineries owned by Pertamina, Cilacap has a daily processing capacity of 270,000 barrels. Eight months later, a fire at the Pertamina Balongan Refinery in the West Java province forced the evacuation of more than 900 people.