Fire at Plastic Factory in Balaraja, Tangerang Rages for Six Hours

A fire broke out at a plastic factory owned by PT Technoplastika Prima Perdana in Sentul Jaya Village, Balaraja District, Tangerang Regency, Banten, on Sunday (6/9). Six hours after the fire was reported, firefighters were still battling to extinguish the flames.

CNN Indonesia observed at the scene that flames were still consuming the factory building. Thick black smoke was also billowing high from the burning area.

The fire caused panic among local residents. Several residents were seen evacuating valuables from their homes, fearing the fire could spread to the residential area located not far from the factory.

A joint team from the Tangerang Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) was still carrying out firefighting operations.

Platoon Commander of the Tangerang Regency BPBD, Amirudin, said his team received the fire report at around 12.08 p.m. Western Indonesia Time. The initial source of the fire is suspected to have originated from the factory’s production room.

“At present, we can confirm that three buildings have burned, covering an area of approximately 12,000 square metres,” Amir said at the scene.

The Tangerang Regency BPBD deployed 12 fire engines and 70 personnel to handle the blaze.

The firefighting process had been ongoing for about six hours since the report was received. However, as of Sunday afternoon, the fire had not yet been fully extinguished.

Amir said the firefighting efforts were hampered by the considerable distance of water sources from the fire site, as well as strong gusts of wind.

“Because this is a plastic factory, the materials inside are dense and highly flammable, which is why the fire spread so quickly,” he explained.

Amir confirmed there were no fatalities in the incident. Meanwhile, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.