Huge Fire Breaks Out At Beirut Port 37 Days After Devastating Explosion

A massive fire has broken out at the port in Beirut, just over a month after a huge explosion rocked the city and left nearly 200 people dead.

A source from the Lebanese military told Metro the fire started in a warehouse being used to store oil and tyres, but the cause is not yet properly known.

The blast on 4 August was caused by thousands of tonnes of improperly stored ammonium nitrate that had been kept in a warehouse for years.

The Lebanese army has been drafted in to help fight the fire alongside the emergency services, and helicopters have been seen over the city carrying large buckets of water to attempt to douse the blaze.

Local media has reported that people in the surrounding area have started to be evacuated, and some panicked citizens have been spotted getting into their cars with the intention of leaving the city.

Michel el-Murr, the head of the fire department's search and rescue team, told The Independent: "We don't own exactly what is burning, we are trying to put out the fire but it is too big, we need a mix of water and foam.

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"We have asked for support, we need the civil defence, and all the fire department crews here now."

One hundred and ninety-one people were killed last month when a gigantic explosion triggered by 2,750 tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate that had been sitting in a port warehouse for nearly seven years caught fire.

Topics: World News

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekends he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

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