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The misfortunes follow one after another … Months after the great explosion that shook the Lebanese capital Beirut on August 4, the huge fire that broke out on Thursday in the essentially destroyed port of Beirut brought to the memory of the Lebanese the tragic accident that killed more than 190 people and injured more. Out of 6,500 people were injured and some 300,000 people were displaced from their homes.
A devastating explosion was followed by a fire that engulfed the rest of the port, and many, many questions arise daily and have no clear answers.
At approximately 13:30 (10:30 GMT), a large fire broke out in a warehouse in the port, where the International Committee of the Red Cross stored aid containing thousands of food packages and half a million liters of oil for the household necessities as well as automobile tires.
About 20 hours after its outbreak, firefighting crews managed to put out the massive fire on Friday morning. However, the main cause of the fire is still unknown.
From the first moments of the fire, civil defense teams and firefighters moved to the scene 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.
Many rushed to open their home windows for fear of another explosion that would knock back the glass again, and others exchanged messages warning to stay away from windows, while many homes and businesses still basically lack their windows and doors that they were broken by the explosion.
In a statement published on Friday, the Lebanese Civil Defense announced that its members were “with the support of a helicopter belonging to the Lebanese Army and the Beirut Fire Brigade, from 1:25 p.m. on Thursday to 8:25 a.m. on Friday, Friday. caused a fire inside one of the huge warehouses in the port of Beirut. ” Civil defense personnel are working to cool the site to prevent a recurrence of the fire.
The International Committee of the Red Cross announced that “part of the ICRC’s stock of food parcels in our supplier’s warehouse had caught fire.” “With the debris and the hazard involved, we cannot determine the size of the losses,” he 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 much of what it was able to salvage from its arsenals 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,” he said on Friday.
‘Toxic Republic’
For long hours on Thursday, a black cloud covered the Beirut sky, and many neighborhoods were dotted with black pieces of merchandise and burning tires.
The Minister of Public Works and Transport of the interim government, Michel Najjar, spoke of “initial information” stating that “one of them was carrying out a repair workshop, using a (welding tool), which caused a spark and the fire.”
This statement is very similar to the initial information that was released months ago, indicating that the explosion could have been caused by welding processes that caused fire and ignited 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which was stored for six years in Pavilion No. 12.
An act of “sabotage” or “error and negligence”
As for the President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, who chaired the Supreme Defense Council on Thursday night, said that the fire could have been an act of “sabotage” or the result of “error” or “negligence.”
The logistics company “BCC” responsible for the warehouse has denied “any responsibility” for the fire.
Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib 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.”
The fire caused panic among citizens, who mainly hold the authorities responsible for the explosion on August 4, as a result of negligence.
The Lebanese journalist, Youmna Fawaz, published a video clip on her official Twitter page, through which she revealed an image showing thousands of files belonging to the Lebanese customs or the Lebanese army leadership, implying that this evidence was burned yesterday during the port fire.
For his part, Lebanese artist Ragheb Alama commented on the port fire, saying in a tweet he posted on his own account: “It is clear that what is happening in the port of Beirut aims to cancel the role of the port. for political reasons, and it is clear that whoever flew the port on August 4 burned what was left of it today. ” All that is said other than that is to sprinkle ash in the eyes. “
Lebanese artist Nawal Al-Zoghbi wrote: “Whoever happens in Lebanon like a play did not see the need for Lebanon,” and asked in another tweet about what is burning (by politicians) inside the port.
The farce
The Al-Akhbar newspaper headlined in its Friday edition, “The Port Disaster Repeats: The Farce”, the French-speaking newspaper “L’Orient-Le Jour” wrote the “Toxic Republic” and the An-Nahar newspaper, “The Port is a suspicious curse.”
The outbreak of the fire on Thursday raised fears among politicians and human rights activists for what they described as a “crime scene,” especially since it is the second this week, as it follows a small fire that also broke out on Tuesday. at the port.
Antoine Saad (56 years old), a resident of Mar Mikhael, one of the neighborhoods severely damaged by the port explosion, said: “It is as if we are watching a horror movie on the street. People are lost and no longer know where to go. “. “What happened yesterday is a repeat of the tragedy of a month ago,” he added.
“Where do we live? This is the scene of a crime that occurred a month ago! Where is the Judiciary? Where is the State? Where is the responsibility?”, Investigator specialized in criminal sciences and human rights, Omar Nashaba .
Carcinogenic compounds
And the environmental organization “Greenpeace” warned on Thursday about the danger of smoke from tire fires, as it can contain organic pollutants that can be inhaled or highly toxic compounds.
And the world organization warned that the smoke can contain “highly toxic compounds that cause cancer, and these particles are usually volatile organic compounds, black carbon and other acid gases such as sulfur dioxide.”
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