It appears that fireworks and ammonium nitrate were the fuel that ignited the massive Beirut explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital, according to what experts said and what the videos showed. The damage that occurred from the center of the explosion at the Beirut port and elsewhere, a few kilometers away, is similar to other explosions caused by a chemical compound usually used as a chemical agricultural fertilizer.
But the boat does not explode on its own, but rather requires another source of ignition, which probably came from the flames that initially broke out and appeared to be fireworks that were stored in the port.
The first moments videotaped of the disaster show sparks and light erupting in smoke from the flames, prior to the explosion. Which indicates the presence of fireworks, said American missile expert at the Institute of International Studies in California, Geoffrey Lewis: "It looks like an accident. At first there was a fire before the explosion, which was not an attack. Some videos show a crackling sound, and it is common To see fire leads to explosions. If a fire breaks out alongside an explosive and the fire is not extinguished quickly, the explosion will occur. "
Lewis said that the cloud that accompanied the huge explosion appeared as a condensed cloud and it usually appears when the big explosions occurred in conditions of high humidity that come after the shock shock waves.
The Secret of the Orange Cloud
According to Lewis, the orange cloud that appeared after the explosion may have been caused by the toxic nitrogen dioxide gas, which is released after the nitrate explosion.
Experts must determine the detonation force by measuring the resulting hole, which looked great after aerial photography Wednesday morning. It is not known, however, what initially set fire to the port of Beirut.
Lebanese Interior Minister Mohamed Fahmy told a local television station that the explosion was caused by the explosion of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which had been stored in one of the port warehouses since it was seized from a cargo ship in 2014, without mentioning the burning fireworks.
It is not known what conditions the ammonium nitrate was stored, or even the reasons for storing tons of explosive material in the port for several years, especially in the midst of a severe economic crisis that resulted in widespread demonstrations during the past months.