Naharnet

Greenpeace Said it Investigated Karantina Dump Fire

A team from Greenpeace investigated a fire at the Bourj Hammoud-Karantina dump that caused a thick black smoke that reached all the way to Beirut’s southern suburbs, the non-governmental organization said on Sunday.

The team of experts discovered that Friday’s fire was caused by the burning of tires to extract iron and sell them to make gains, Greenpeace said in a press release.

The NGO lauded the Civil Defense Department for controlling the blaze and preventing it from reaching nearby gas tanks and consequently avoiding a “humanitarian and environmental disaster.”

The team took photographs of hundreds of burned tires, it said.

Campaigns official Rayan Makarem said the incident is an example of the “environmental crimes” committed in Lebanon.

Waste should be either recycled or turned into fertilizers to limit the chances of fires that cause pollution in the air, soil and water, he said.


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