Zoughaib Jewelry Store Fire Doused in Ashrafiyeh

A huge fire at a well known jewelry shop in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district caused material damage only as firefighters were able to salvage jewelry from the store, the state-run National News Agency and an official said Friday.

The fire, which erupted at around 7:00 am at the ground floor of Zoughaib jewelry in Sofil Center, was extinguished a couple of hours later, NNA said.

The deputy commander of Beirut firefighting department, Col. Safi Sultani, told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) that the extent of the damage was not as huge as the fire.

NNA said firefighters were able to hand boxes of jewelry, diamonds and cash to security forces that launched an investigation into the incident.

VDL quoted the store's manager as saying that the fire could have been caused by an electrical short-circuit.