17 dead as fire breaks out at Indonesian fuel station then spreads to homes
- 50 others were injured in the blaze, which sent panicked residents fleeing with their belongings
- People living in the densely populated area were evacuated to nearby mosques
The fire, which started after 8pm local time, burned some houses and sent nearby residents in the densely populated areas into a panic, some of whom fled with their belongings, footage from broadcasters showed.
A Pertamina spokesperson said late on Friday that the fire had been extinguished at about 10.30pm. Fire was still seen around residents’ houses after that, a firefighting station official said on the unit’s Instagram account.
Two of the fatalities were children, while 50 people were injured including one child, according to Rahmat Kristanto, an official at the firefighting unit.
Most of the injured people suffered from burns and the government will pay for their medical treatment, Jakarta’s acting governor Heru Budi Hartono told reporters.
