Govt aims to extinguish Cilacap refinery fire on Monday

The government says it is aiming to extinguish a blaze in several refinery tanks in Cilacap, Central Java, by this evening.

Presidential spokesman Julian A. Pasha said the government would deploy large-capacity fire engine to douse the flames that were still seen raging in Tank 31-T7at 10 a.m. on Monday.

“President [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] has instructed Coordinating Economic Minister Economy Hatta Rajasa and Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Darwin Z. Saleh to monitor and tackle the fire immediately,” Julian said Monday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

He added that both Hatta and Darwin had kept President updated on the incident.

Quoting the ministers, Julian said they had found no significant damage to the Cilacap refinery despite the strong earthquake that hit the Cilacap area this morning.

He said the fire was expected to be extinguished by Monday evening or Tuesday morning.