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(Reuters) – A fire broke out in a popular building under construction in Beirut’s business district on Tuesday, the second to spread panic among residents this month after the terrible explosion in the port of the Lebanese capital in August.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries and the fire died quickly, but it left the population in a state of exasperation in a country that is going through a serious economic crisis and hopes that its politicians will agree to form a new government.
“Something strange here is Al Haraiq in Beirut … Certainly something is not normal,” said Joe Sayegh, 48, who was jogging in the city before arriving at the scene. He added that every day there is a problem.
Firefighting vehicles quickly put out the fire, which broke out in one corner of the modernist building, designed by the late and prominent British architect Zaha Hadid, of Iraqi origin.
The waterfront building, which has been under construction for years, became a landmark in the business district that was rebuilt after the 1975-1990 civil war.
Solidere, who was tasked with rebuilding Beirut, said initial information indicated that an accident was the cause of the fire in the building, which has been built for years.
During the reconstruction, modern skyscrapers designed by international architects broke the sky and old buildings from the Ottoman period were restored.
But protests during an economic crisis triggered by a massive debt crisis have already driven many businesses out of the city center and damaged many buildings even before the August 4 port explosion that devastated another side of the capital.
The government resigned after the Beirut port bomb attack, blaming a huge reserve of ammonium nitrate, which had been in insecure storage for years. This month, a major fire broke out in the port at already destroyed warehouses, causing further damage.
France is pressuring Lebanon to form a new government to tackle rampant corruption in the country and implement the necessary reforms to disburse international aid. But many Lebanese still doubt the ability of the Lebanese political elite to pursue a new path.
Sayegh said he does not expect any change if these same elites continue to control the reins of affairs.
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