Second Time in One Week Fire Erupts at Blast Site in Beirut
A huge fire broke out Thursday at the Port of Beirut, the site of last month's catastrophic explosion that killed nearly 200 people and devastated parts of the capital. The new fire nearly 40 days after the blast triggered widespread panic among traumatized residents of the area.
Some sought safety in closed bathrooms or threw open their windows to guard against shattering glass in case of another blast; others piled into cars to flee the capital.
Dark smoke and the smell of toxic fumes enveloped Beirut in the evening as army helicopters circled and sprayed water over the orange flames, helping firefighters on the ground.
Around 7pm, Civil Defense operations chief George Bou Moussa the blaze had been "80% contained" and that it needed "three to four hours to be fully doused."
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire at the facility, which was decimated by the Aug. 4 explosion when nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate detonated. But citing preliminary reports, caretaker Public Works and Transport Minister Michel Najjar suggested that the fire was sparked by maintenance works.
“Preliminary reports suggest that a person was doing maintenance works with the use of a metal cutting saw, which produced a flying spark that triggered the blaze,” he said.
A column of thick black smoke billowed from the port at midday Thursday, with orange flames leaping from the ground. Smoke covered the capital and firefighters and ambulances rushed to the scene. Army helicopters were taking part in efforts to extinguish the fire.
Haitham, a 33-year-old worker at a company at the port, told AFP how he fled the new fire in fear.
"We were working when all of a sudden they started yelling at us to get out," he said. "There was welding going on... and a fire broke out. We don't know what happened.
"We dropped everything and started running ... It reminded us of the explosion."
"We opened all windows and are in the corridor right now," said Dana Awad, a mother of two girls in a Beirut neighborhood. "I am still feeling the earth shake. Living a flashback." She was referring to the tremor that preceded the Aug. 4 explosion.
Jennifer Moorehead, Save the Children's country director in Lebanon, said the fire will inevitably bring back distressing memories to many Lebanese children who are still trying to recover from last month's blast.
"Children in Beirut have experienced a terrible shock and they need time to recover; today's fire and panic will only make things worse," she said.
Najat Saliba, a professor specializing in atmospheric chemistry at the American University of Beirut, tweeted warnings for the elderly and children to protect themselves or even to leave the city if possible until the smoke cleared.
The raging fire and column of smoke was eerily similar to the one that preceded the devastating explosion. Back then, curious residents stood on balconies or behind windows in offices and homes to photograph the fire, compounding the injuries from flying glass when the gigantic fireball mushroomed across the city.
The Lebanese army said the fire started at a warehouse where oil and tires are placed in the duty free zone, adding that efforts to battle the fire were ongoing.
Panicked residents -- still struggling to get over last month's catastrophic explosion -- cracked open windows and called and texted each other to warn them of the new danger. Local TV stations said companies that have offices near the port asked their employees to leave the area.
A video circulating on social media showed port workers running away in fear as soon as the fire broke out, a chilling reminder of last month's blast that killed dozens of port employees and 10 firefighters. Lebanese troops closed the major road that passes near the port rerouting traffic to other areas.
In a phone call with LBCI TV, George Kettaneh, Secretary General of the Lebanese Red Cross, said the “fire will not lead to an explosion.”
He assured that there were no individuals injured, only one case of smoke inhalation.
A military source urged people via LBCI to clear the area near the port and stay away from the fire site.
The Aug. 4 explosion killed more than 190 people, injured around 6,500 and damaged thousands of buildings in the Lebanese capital. The explosion, the single most destructive blast in Lebanon's history, is blamed on government negligence and mismanagement.
Lebanese speculated in the wake of Thursday's fire that it could be an attempt to remove evidence of last month's explosion from the scene. Some hid in bathrooms, others dropped what they were doing and rushed home.
The panic was compounded by the trauma from the Aug. 4 explosion and the fear that more chemicals could be in the wreckage of the port. Earlier this month, the Lebanese army said it discovered more than 4 tons of ammonium nitrate in four containers stored near the port that it said were "dealt with."
Days after the Aug. 4 blast, French and Italian chemical experts working amid the remains of the port identified more than 20 containers carrying dangerous chemicals. The army later said that these containers were moved and stored safely in locations away from the port.
State-run National News Agency said the fire was at a warehouse where tires are placed. It added that firefighters are dealing with the blaze.
Beirut Gov. Marwan Abboud and authorities called on people to stay away from roads leading to the port to allow fire engines to move quickly.
Port director Bassem al-Qaisi told Voice of Lebanon radio the fire started in a warehouse where barrels of cooking oil were placed and later spread nearby to where tires were piled.
"It is too early to now if it is the result of heat or some other mistake," al-Qaissi said adding that the black smoke was from burning tires.
It was the second fire at the port this week. On Tuesday, a small fire erupted, also creating some panic, that was quickly extinguished.
A highway that runs parallel to the port was blocked with cars, some with terrified-looking women and children trying to flee. "Get out of my way!" one woman screamed at others blocking her path. A woman sitting in the car next to her covered her ears with her hands, looking traumatized by it all.
Source: Associated Press, Agence France Presse, Naharnet
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