A new fire in the port of Beirut revives painful memories
A fire burning days ago in the port of Beirut has stirred painful memories of the explosion that destroyed the Lebanese capital in 2020, as the government struggles to find a way to put it out as the second anniversary of the explosion approaches.
The ruins of the port's granaries slowly burned, creating an orange glow visible at night from neighborhoods badly damaged by the explosion caused by an ammonium nitrate shipment on August 4, 2020, which killed more than 215 people.
Authorities say this is caused by the summer heat that has set fire to the quantities of grain left in silos since the blast, one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.
The explosion is widely seen in Lebanon as a symbol of corruption and mismanagement by the ruling elite that has also pushed the country into a devastating economic collapse.
"My heart is burning, but I can see the fire for sure," said Mona Gawish, who lost her daughter in the explosion.
"They are coming back and giving us back the same day for the crime that happened," she added, during her participation in a protest, on Wednesday, organized by the families of the victims who demanded the preservation of the silos to commemorate the dead.
Much of the port still looks like a disaster zone, a symbol of the broader failure of the Lebanese ruling elite that allowed the economic collapse to fester over three years even as poverty rose and state services collapsed.
No major person responsible for the blast has been held accountable.
Economy Minister Amin Salam told reporters gathered at the port on Thursday that this was not the first fire that broke out in the silos.
With plumes of smoke billowing from the silos behind him, Salam said technicians were working on the problem, but it was complicated as the atmospheric pressure generated by army helicopters posed a danger to the silos and could spread fire.
He stated, "The technical team is really studying the best option. We are not saying there are no solutions, but we are trying to find solutions that have greater repercussions than what we are trying to avoid."
He added that removing the grain from the silo threatens to collapse.
The General Directorate of Civil Defense said the fire was caused by the fermentation of "materials found in the vicinity of the dumps" and would flare up again within days if it was put out.
She pointed out that the government prevented anyone from approaching the silos because of the danger surrounding them.
The investigation into the 2020 explosion was paralyzed, amid the reluctance of senior politicians.
Reflecting a mistrust of the authorities, some relatives of the victims said they believed the fire was deliberately started to destroy the silos, which bear witness to the explosion caused by large amounts of ammonium nitrate that were unsafely stored.
In response to a question about the statements of the relatives of the victims, Salam cited expert reports that the fire was the result of fermentation of materials in the silos.
Ilham Al-Beqai, whose son died in the explosion, criticized the official statements and said they say they are concerned about public safety while the fire has been burning for more than a week.
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