What happened

A fire broke out at around 20:00 local time on 3 March 2023 at Pertamina's Plumpang fuel storage depot in North Jakarta, Indonesia, originating from the depot's receiving pipeline; a lightning strike was suspected to have sparked the blaze. The fire spread into the densely populated residential neighborhood immediately adjacent to the depot, killing 33 people (the toll rising over several weeks as hospitalized victims succumbed to their injuries, reaching 33 by 24 March) and injuring 50. Approximately 600 residents were evacuated overnight to the North Jakarta mayoral office and other nearby public buildings. Pertamina resumed fueling operations at the depot by around 4:00am the following morning and used other depots across Greater Jakarta to maintain fuel supply during the response. State-owned enterprises minister Erick Thohir said the government intended to relocate residents living near the facility, and President Joko Widodo, visiting an evacuee camp on 5 March, proposed either relocating the nearby community or moving the depot itself to a reclaimed island. This is documented as an accidental fire, suspected to be lightning-triggered, not an attack.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.