Fire engulfs fuel depot, houses

BOGOR (JP): Fire engulfed a large fuel oil depot, five houses and two cars in Gunung Putri, Bogor, on Saturday, with total losses estimated at about Rp 50 million (approximately US$6,600), residents of Gunung Putri said on Sunday.

The blaze, lasting nearly four hours, started when a fuel tanker parked inside the depot's compound caught fire. The fire spread to the hundreds of fuel oil barrels located in the compound.

"Luckily, no one was killed in the fire," a resident who lives in front of the depot told The Jakarta Post.

He said the fuel depot, built in 1996, caused many problems in the area. Residents reportedly complained to the police about the depot, operated by PT Darma Putra Sejati, because its tankers allegedly spilled oil in the neighborhood and its underground storage caused contamination of local wells.

The Gunung Putri Police chief and the depot owner could not be reached for comment on Sunday afternoon. (41/04)