---
title: "Watch an Oil Refinery Explode After Possibly Getting Hit by Lightning"
description: "An Indonesian oil refinery on the island of Java caught on fire early Monday, ballooning into a massive column of fire and smoke. "
date: "2021-03-29"
modified: "2021-03-29"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/oil-refinery-explode-lightning"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "big oil"
  - "crude oil"
  - "indonesia"
  - "the digest"
---

# Watch an Oil Refinery Explode After Possibly Getting Hit by Lightning

![An Indonesian oil refinery on the island of Java caught on fire early Monday, ballooning into a massive column of fire and smoke. ](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/oil-refinery-explode-lightning.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: BPBD INDRAMAYU\</em\>*

## Oil Refinery Fire

An Indonesian oil refinery on the island of Java caught on fire early Monday, ballooning into a massive column of fire and smoke.

The incident seriously injured six people and forced 1,000 nearby residents from their homes, [*The New York Times* reports](<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/29/world/asia/indonesia-refinery-fire.html>).

Drone [footage uploaded to Reddit](<https://www.reddit.com/r/CatastrophicFailure/comments/mfgl0m/drone_view_of_indonesias_largest_oil_refinery/>) shows the true extent of the blaze. The smoke blows so thick that it totally obscures the morning sky behind it.

The blast was so massive, in fact, that it shattered nearby homes. The explosion itself could be heard from over 100 miles away.

https://youtu.be/Mgf32SSNles

## Still Investigating

Authorities believe the conflagration may have been started by a lightning strike.

"The cause of the fire is not known with certainty, but at the time of the incident, it was raining heavily accompanied by lightning," state-owned oil refinery company Pertamina said in a statement, as reported by the *Times*.

Pertamina was also involved in a [massive offshore crude oil spill](<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/27/world/asia/indonesia-pertamina-oil-spill.html>) in 2019.

According to the company, today's blaze largely involved storage tanks, and won't significantly affect refinery operations.

**READ MORE:** [Oil Refinery in Indonesia Catches Fire, Prompting an Evacuation](<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/29/world/asia/indonesia-refinery-fire.htmL>) \[*The New York Times*\]

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)