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View all search resultsBlora oil well fire burns for fourth day as authorities struggle to extinguish the blaze
The blaze killed three people and injured two others, including a one-year-old boy who is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital after suffering burns on 63 percent of his body.
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A worker in hi-viz suit (right) observes the oil well fire in Gandu village, Bogorejo district, Blora regency, Central Java, on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, which killed three people and forced 50 families to evacuate. Blora is knowns for its old oil wells from the Dutch colonization era, with the first oil well was drilled in 1893. (kompas.com/Aria Rusta Yuli Pradana)
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irefighters are still struggling to extinguish a fire at an illegal oil well in Blora Regency, Central Java, which has been burning for four days and has killed three people and injured two others.
Agung Triyono, a member of the Rapid Response Team at the Blora Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), said that efforts are currently focused on building a soil embankment around the well to help contain the flames.
“We’re using four excavators to dig and pile soil around the well. Fortunately, the fire’s intensity and gas pressure have begun to decrease today. We hope this trend continues,” Agung said on Wednesday, as reported by Kompas.com.
Previously, Central Java BPBD Head Muhammad Chomsul said that efforts to extinguish the fire had been hampered by uncertainty over the exact location of the fire’s source.
“We don’t know the exact ignition point. It’s different from a drilled well, where the fire source is easier to trace and seal. The burning well is unusually wide and estimated to be around 180 meters deep, making it difficult to access and shut off the source of the fire," he said on Tuesday.
State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina has deployed personnel to assist in efforts to contain the fire. However, the company said the firefighting operation has been hindered by the well’s substandard construction and the lack of proper safety equipment at the site.
Read also: Three dead, 50 families evacuated as oil well burns in Blora
