Fire in port Beirut largely extinguished | Abroad

The fire is said to have broken out in a store for car tires and oil and caused enormous smoke development. Army helicopters fought the fire with water from the air, while firefighters put out from the ground. As far as is known, no one was seriously injured.

The Red Cross reported that a large amount of food aid was stored in an affected shed. There is still uncertainty about the extent of the damage, but according to a top official of the aid organization, the consequences could be major.

An insider said the fire may have been caused by welding work. Sparks would have landed on combustible material. A smaller fire also broke out in the harbor two days ago. Then, according to the army, rubbish, wood and old tires were ablaze.

Residents of the city were shocked to the new harbor fire. “We are certainly afraid. It has only been a month since the explosion devastated Beirut. We are now seeing the same thing happening again, ”said a 53-year-old man as ash and soot settled in parts of the metropolis.

‘Run!’

A 33-year-old employee of a company in the port said he took off as soon as possible on Thursday. “We were working when they suddenly started yelling for us to run,” he said. “We stopped everything and started running. It reminded us of the explosion. ”

Last month’s devastating port disaster is still fresh in Beirut’s memories. Then 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse for years exploded. Nearly 200 people were killed and thousands were injured. The Lebanese authorities are still investigating the disaster and have arrested 25 people, including employees of the customs and port authorities.

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