BOGOR, Indonesia (Reuters) – A massive fire at an ammunition depot near Indonesia’s capital was extinguished early on Sunday and the military was sweeping nearby residential areas to collect materials that had possibly flown out during explosions, a military official said.
The fire broke out on Saturday at a military ammunition depot in Bogor, on the outskirts of Jakarta, at around 6.30 p.m. (1130 GMT), causing a series of loud explosions and sending flames and smoke into the night sky. The military said no one was killed or injured.
The blaze was extinguished at around 3.45 a.m. on Sunday, said Mohammad Hasan, the military commander for Jakarta.
“We are investigating the area around the location and we’re going to comb and clean materials that were thrown out of the depot,” Hasan told reporters near the site.
The military did not describe the objects but warned residents not to touch them as they could be dangerous.
Firefighters used robotic cars to help put out the flames. The military said it suspected the blaze had started due to unstable chemicals at a part of the facility where ageing ammunition were stored.
Hasan said the ammunition were stored in the facility because the military was in the process of disposing them.
(Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Jamie Freed)
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