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Fire at ammo dump raises safety questions
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Fire engines wait at the entrance of a Indonesian Military (TNI) ammunition warehouse in Bogor, West Java, where several explosions occurred on March 31, 2024. No casualties were immediately reported. (AFP/Aditya Irawan)
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series of explosions and an ensuing fire at a military ammunition depot in West Java over the weekend have raised safety questions regarding the stockpiling of expired munitions, following a similar incident at a police warehouse in East Java in March.
The fire broke out at an Army ammunition depot in Ciangsana, Bogor regency, West Java, after explosions ripped through the facility at around 6 p.m. on Saturday.
The blaze damaged the depot, which was used to store expired ammunition and was located in a warehouse complex managed by the Jakarta Military Command (Kodam Jaya)
The flames were extinguished by 4 a.m. on Sunday after 13 fire trucks and 40 firefighters were deployed to the location. Firefighters reportedly also used robotic cars to help put out the blaze.
No casualties were reported, according to Kodam Jaya chief Maj. Gen. Mohamad Hasan.
Nearby residents were evacuated to safer places. Most reportedly returned home on Sunday morning.
Hasan said a preliminary analysis suggested that unstable expired ammunition might have caused the explosion. The Indonesian Military (TNI) was looking into the matter, he added.
