The huge fire in the Beirut port was extinguished, and the fire affected humanitarian aid

About 20 hours after its outbreak, firefighting teams extinguished Friday morning the huge fire that erupted in the devastated port of Beirut and affected humanitarian aid in a country still living under the shock of the explosion that witnessed this main facility at the beginning of August.

The fire broke out at around 13:30 (10:30 GMT) Thursday in a warehouse in the port, where the International Committee of the Red Cross stored aid containing thousands of food parcels and half a million liters of oil used for household needs, as well as car tires.


Since its outbreak, the civil defense teams and the fire brigade rushed to the place, and a helicopter belonging to the Lebanese army joined them and worked to extinguish the fire, whose fire spread to other warehouses where imported materials are stored.


In the evening, the army command said in a statement, "Some websites transmitted news that dangerous inflammable materials were found in Ward No. 5 of Beirut Port, which could lead to an explosion if exposed to high heat."


The statement added, "It is important for the army command to confirm that its units continue to work with regard to inspecting the materials in the port, and on its date they found various chemicals in Ward No. 15 and processed them in a scientific way, and they were transferred to safe places so that they no longer pose a threat to health. And public safety. "


Soon, the fire reminded the Lebanese of the day of the horrific Beirut Port explosion on August 4, which killed more than 190 people and injured more than 6,500, in addition to the displacement of about 300,000 people from their homes. 


Many rushed to close the windows of their homes, fearing another explosion would topple the glass again, and others exchanged messages advising to stay away from the windows, while many homes and shops still basically lack their windows and doors that were broken by the explosion.


The Lebanese Civil Defense announced in a statement on Friday morning that its members had been put out "with the support of a helicopter belonging to the Lebanese Army and the Beirut Fire Brigade, from 13.25 Thursday until 0825 Friday Friday, a fire broke out inside one of the huge warehouses in Beirut port."


Civil defense personnel are working to cool the site to prevent the recurrence of the fire.


The International Committee of the Red Cross announced that "a portion of the ICRC stockpile of food parcels in our supplier's warehouse had set on fire".

"With the rubble and the danger involved, we cannot determine the size of the losses," she added.


According to the ICRC, the aid includes "sunflower oil, olive oil, sugar, salt, tea, margarine, pasta, tomato paste, bulgur, chickpeas, lentils and beans."


The ICRC had transferred a large part of what it was able to salvage from its stockpile in the port after the explosion.


"There is no doubt that the explosion and the fire will have an impact on the humanitarian aid provided by the ICRC, whether in Lebanon or Syria," she said on Friday.


- "The Toxic Republic" - For many hours Thursday, a black cloud covered the sky of Beirut, and many neighborhoods were scattered with black pieces of goods and burning tires.


The reasons for the outbreak of the fire are still unclear. However, Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport Michel Najjar spoke Thursday about "initial information" stating that "one of them was carrying out a repair workshop, using a (welding tool), which led to a spark and the fire broke out."


As for the President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, who presided over the Supreme Defense Council on Thursday evening, he said that the fire might have been an act of "sabotage" or a result of "error" or "negligence."


The "BCC" logistics company, which is in charge of the warehouse, denied "any responsibility" for the fire.


The Prime Minister-designate, Mustafa Adeeb, tweeted on Friday that "yesterday's fire in the port of Beirut cannot be justified (...) and accountability is a prerequisite for not repeating such painful events."


And Greenpeace environmental organization warned Thursday of the danger of smoke from the tire fire, because it may contain organic pollutants that can be inhaled, or highly toxic compounds. 


The fire caused panic among citizens, who mainly hold the authorities responsible for the August 4 explosion, as a result of negligence.

The authorities attributed the explosion to 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored for more than six years without adequate protection measures.


The Lebanese Presidency quoted the commander of the works regiment during a meeting with Aoun with the commander of the army and officers concerned at the port that "15 thousand tons of rubble" were removed from the port, and an area of ​​"one million square meters" was cleaned in it, in addition to the affected streets, schools, hospitals and universities.


The explosion sparked outrage, especially after several reports and sources confirmed that the authorities, including security services, presidents, and former and current officials, were aware of the dangers of storing this material in the port.

This prompted the government headed by Hassan Diab to resign.


So far, the judiciary has arrested 25 people, including senior officials of the port and its security. 


Al-Akhbar newspaper titled in its Friday edition, “The Port disaster is repeated: the farce,” the French-speaking “L'Orient-Le Jour” newspaper wrote the “Toxic Republic” and An-Nahar newspaper, “The Port is a suspicious curse.”


The outbreak of the fire on Thursday aroused the fear of politicians and jurists for what they described as the "crime scene", especially as it is the second this week, as it comes after a small fire that broke out also Tuesday in the port. 


Antoine Saad (56 years), a resident of Mar Mikhael, a neighborhood severely damaged as a result of the port explosion, said, "As if we saw a horror movie in the street, people are lost and do not know where to go."

"What happened yesterday is a repeat of the tragedy a month ago," he added.


"Where do we live? This is the scene of a crime that took place a month ago! Where is the judiciary? Where is the state? Where is the responsibility?"

Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news