At least two people died in a fire as Indonesian authorities tried to cleanup an oil spill off Borneo island Saturday, an official said.

The blaze was sparked as workers tried to clear the spill in waters near Balikpapan City by burning it.

Two people believed to be fishermen — were caught in the fire and died, a spokesman of the local search and rescue agency said.

“The fire was quite big, about two kilometres high. It can be seen from Balikpapan city and the smell was all over the place,” said Octavianto, a senior official of East Borneo search and rescue agency, who like many Indonesians go by one name.

Authorities have managed to put out the fire but there was still an oil spill in the waters.

It was not known how much oil was spilled or where it came from.

A boat carrying coal was temporarily stuck near the fire, Octavianto told AFP, but the search and rescue teams successfully evacuated all 20 crew on board.

Indonesia relies heavily on boats to ferry people and goods around its vast archipelago of about 17,000 islands.

Boat accidents are common, but oil spill cleanup accidents are rare.

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This post was syndicated from The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper – Nigeria and World News. Click here to read the full text on the original website. </s> JAKARTA: At least two people died in a fire as Indonesian authorities tried to clean up an oil spill off Borneo island on Saturday (Mar 31), an official said.

The blaze was sparked as workers tried to clear the spill in waters near Balikpapan City by burning it.

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Two people - believed to be fishermen - were caught in the fire and died, a spokesman of the local search and rescue agency said.

"The fire was quite big, about two kilometres high. It can be seen from Balikpapan city and the smell was all over the place," said Octavianto, a senior official of East Borneo search and rescue agency, who like many Indonesians go by one name.

Authorities have managed to put out the fire but there was still an oil spill in the waters.

It was not known how much oil was spilled or where it came from.

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A boat carrying coal was temporarily stuck near the fire, Octavianto told AFP, but the search and rescue teams successfully evacuated all 20 crew on board.

Indonesia relies heavily on boats to ferry people and goods around its vast archipelago of about 17,000 islands.

Boat accidents are common, but oil spill cleanup accidents are rare. </s> Click to print (Opens in new window)

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JAKARTA: At least two people died in a fire as Indonesian authorities tried to cleanup an oil spill off Borneo island yesterday, an official said.

The blaze was sparked as workers tried to clear the spill in waters near Balikpapan City by burning it.

Two people – believed to be fishermen – were caught in the fire and died, a spokesman of the local search and rescue agency said.

“The fire was quite big, about two kilometres high. It can be seen from Balikpapan city and the smell was all over the place,” said Octavianto, a senior official of East Borneo search and rescue agency, who like many Indonesians go by one name.

Authorities have managed to put out the fire but there was still an oil spill in the waters.

It was not known how much oil was spilled or where it came from.

A boat carrying coal was temporarily stuck near the fire, Octavianto told AFP, but the search and rescue teams successfully evacuated all 20 crew on board.

Indonesia relies heavily on boats to ferry people and goods around its vast archipelago of about 17,000 islands.

Boat accidents are common, but oil spill cleanup accidents are rare. — AFP </s> This handout photograph taken and released on March 31, 2018 by Indonesia Search and Rescue shows thick smoke from a blaze which occured during an oil spill cleanup in the waters off Balikpapan. — AFP picJAKARTA, March 31 — At least two people died in a fire as Indonesian authorities tried to cleanup an oil spill off Borneo island today, an official said.

The blaze was sparked as workers tried to clear the spill in waters near Balikpapan City by burning it.

Two people—believed to be fishermen—were caught in the fire and died, a spokesman of the local search and rescue agency said.

“The fire was quite big, about two kilometres high. It can be seen from Balikpapan city and the smell was all over the place,” said Octavianto, a senior official of East Borneo search and rescue agency, who like many Indonesians go by one name.

Authorities have managed to put out the fire but there was still an oil spill in the waters.

It was not known how much oil was spilled or where it came from.

A boat carrying coal was temporarily stuck near the fire, Octavianto told AFP, but the search and rescue teams successfully evacuated all 20 crew on board.

Indonesia relies heavily on boats to ferry people and goods around its vast archipelago of about 17,000 islands.

Boat accidents are common, but oil spill cleanup accidents are rare. — AFP </s> JAKARTA: At least two people died in a fire as Indonesian authorities tried to cleanup an oil spill off Borneo island on Saturday, an official said. The blaze was sparked as workers tried to clear the spill in waters near Balikpapan City by burning it. Two people— believed to be fishermen—were caught in the fire and died, a spokesman of the local search and rescue agency said. “The fire was quite big, about two kilometers high. It can be seen from Balikpapan city and the smell was all over the place,” said Octavianto, a senior official of East Borneo search and rescue agency, who like many Indonesians go by one name. Authorities have managed to put out the fire but there was still an oil spill in the waters. It was not known how much oil was spilled or where it came from. </s> The Indonesian port city of Balikpapan, on the island of Borneo, has declared a state of emergency after an oil spill spread along the coast, killing five fishermen when the oil caught fire.

Balikpapan is home to one of Indonesia's largest oil refineries. But the country's state energy company, Pertamina, has denied the spill was a result of its operations. </s> City of Balikpapan is struggling to deal with toxic smoke from fire that killed four fisherman

The Indonesian port city of Balikpapan, on the island of Borneo, has declared a state of emergency after a devastating oil spill spread along the coast, killing four fisherman when it ignited.

The oil spill, which occurred over the weekend, has now stretched to an area of around seven square miles (18 sq km), contaminating the sea and polluting the air with thick black smoke. One protected dugong has already washed up dead on the shore.

The four fisherman died after being caught up in the fire caused by the spill – another is still missing – and the port city of Balikpapan, which has a population of 700,000, is struggling to deal with the toxic smoke.

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“We’re in a state of emergency because of the oil spill’s impact,” said the Balikpapan city secretary MN Fadli. Around 1,200 people who live in the Penajam North Penajam Paser subdistrict reported symptoms of nausea, vomiting and breathing problems after the spill caught fire on Saturday and the city has distributed masks to help residents cope with the smell.

“I may sound like I’m exaggerating, but the state of the bay is like that of a gas station,” said Fadli.

The spill is thought to have been caused by a bulk coal carrier, which was carrying coal from Indonesia to Malaysia, but samples have also been taken from Pertamina, a state-owned oil refinery that has pipelines across the bay. Pertamina has denied it is responsible for the leak.

The full environmental impact of the oil spill is not yet known but it is already affecting the livelihoods of the local fisherman who rely on going out in their boats every day.

The Indonesian Environment and Forestry Ministry said a recovery team was working to contain and clean up the spill. Rasio Ridho Sani, the director general of the ministry, said: “Our team in the field is investigating it thoroughly. We will soon find out how big the impact is on the environment and who will be held responsible.” </s> April 3 (UPI) -- Indonesian authorities on Tuesday declared a state of emergency after an oil spill last weekend that killed multiple people.

A fire ignited from the spill killed four fishermen in the port city of Balikpapan, off the coast of Borneo Island.

"We're in a state of emergency because of the oil spill's impact," Balikpapan City Secretary Fadli told The Straits Times.

Fadli added that the situation near the spill is still volatile.

"I may sound like I'm exaggerating, but the state of the bay is like that of a gas station," he said.

The spill has spread rapidly since Saturday to areas around ports and beaches.

Environmental officials said a recovery team is working to contain the oil with floating barriers and chemical sprays.

"Our focus now is to mitigate the impact of the oil spill," environmental director Rasio Ridho Sani said. "[We] have worked together to minimize the impact."

Rasio said masks have been distributed to protect residents from the spilled fuel. About 1,200 people have become sickened so far.

The cause of the spill is under investigation. </s> Indonesia has declared a state of emergency around a port on Borneo island, officials said on Tuesday, after a large oil spill and fire killed four people at the weekend, Reuters reports.

Disaster mitigation officials were able to control the blaze in the port city of Balikpapan but were still working to contain the spill, which started on Saturday and spread over an area of around 12 square km (4.5 square miles).

“We have warned the public not to carry out activities that could spark fires,” Suryanto, head of the city’s environmental agency, said.

Balikpapan, in East Kalimantan, is a major mining and energy hub and home to one of the few oil refineries in the country, run by state energy firm Pertamina.
As workers attempt to clean up an oil spill, a fire breaks out off the coast of Borneo near Balikpapan, Indonesia, killing at least two fishermen. Search and rescue personnel evacuate all 20 crew from a nearby ship.