A significant fire followed by a series of explosions struck an Indonesian military ammunition depot near Jakarta, the capital city. Firefighters are currently engaged in efforts to extinguish the blaze.
No casualties have been reported thus far, as confirmed by military official Mohammad Hasan, who stated that the fire originated in a section of the depot used for storing expired ammunition. Hasan emphasized that there have been no fatalities, attributing the cause of the fire to potential sparks from the unstable chemicals present in the expired ammunition.
According to army official Kristomei Sianturi, efforts to extinguish the fire commenced several hours after it began at 6:30 pm local time. Initially, firefighters and paramedics faced challenges reaching the site, as reported by local media.
Footage aired by local network KompasTV depicted vivid orange flames and dense clouds of smoke rising into the night sky, accompanied by loud explosions audible from several kilometers away. Local resident Arga Nanda described hearing a powerful explosion that rattled doors and windows, prompting people to flee into the streets under the impression of an earthquake.
Kristomei noted that authorities are in the process of evacuating residents from nearby neighborhoods. He also cautioned against handling any objects that may have been propelled outward by the explosions, emphasizing safety measures amidst the ongoing incident.
