Residents' Testimony on Cimuning SPBE Explosion: Smelled Gas, Motorcycle Passed By, Then It Exploded
Residents near the Bulk LPG Filling Station (SPBE) in Cimuning, Mustikajaya, Bekasi City, West Java, claimed to have smelled a pungent gas odour before the explosion in the fire incident on Wednesday night (1/4/2026).
Ningsih (30), one of the victims, said warnings to residents had already been issued before the incident occurred.
“It was at 20:30 WIB, warnings were given from the musholla to avoid the area. Basically, after the pungent smell, residents saved themselves,” said Ningsih when met at the location on Thursday (2/4/2026).
“So, there were no sparks from inside (the SPBE). My suspicion is the spark came from outside because a motorcycle passed by. Well, that’s how it happened,” said Ningsih.
She claimed to have heard three to four explosions from the fire location. The situation then turned to panic, and residents ran away to save themselves. In the emergency, Ningsih only managed to save a small portion of her belongings.
“At most, just my child’s books that could be saved. As for clothes, they couldn’t be saved anymore, documents couldn’t either,” she revealed.
Despite losing possessions, she was grateful that she and her family survived without injuries.
“My child was almost left behind. If not? Oh God. Fortunately, I wasn’t working at the time. If I was working, I don’t know about my life either,” she explained.
“The burnt area is around 2,000 square metres. Preliminary suspicion is due to an electrical short circuit,” said Acting Head of the Bekasi City Fire and Rescue Agency (Disdamkarmat), Heryanto, to journalists near the fire location on Thursday (2/4/2026).
According to Heryanto, the fire occurred while the SPBE was operating, thus increasing the risk, including the potential for gas explosions.
The extinguishing process faced obstacles because the fire involved gas that required special handling.
“Gas like this needs special handling and must be mapped where the fire points are,” he said.
Officers had to work extra carefully to prevent potential follow-up explosions. This condition made the fire handling process more complex than ordinary fires.