At least 500 people were evacuated from a nearby village after a massive fire broke out at a refinery in Indonesia’s West Java province.

Firefighters are working to put out the fire which has left five injured with many others reported missing. 

The fire broke out at the Balongan refinery, run by state oil firm Pertamina just before 1am local time. 

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

One witness told Reuters "We smelled a strong fuel scent first, so strong that my nose hurt, while we heard lightning strikes."

ertamina’s president director Nicke Widyawati said in a statement: “To prevent the fire from spreading we’ve shut down operations ... and are putting our efforts into handling the blaze."