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A massive fire has broken out in the devastated port of Beirut a month after some 200 people were killed by a large explosion and shock wave.
Hell sent terror and panic through the Lebanese capital, and traumatized residents feared there would be another major explosion, although authorities said there was no risk of that happening.
The video shows the terrified dockworkers running for their lives as flames shoot hundreds of meters into the air and a huge cloud of black smoke hangs over the Mediterranean city.
The fire broke out in a warehouse containing oil and tires, near the epicenter of the Aug. 4 explosion that also injured at least 6,500 people and left about a quarter of a million residents homeless.
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Liz Sly, a Beirut correspondent for the Washington Post, tweeted images of Thursday afternoon’s fire and wrote: “Another big fire in the port of Beirut. Everyone is going crazy.”
Layal Abou Rahal, an AFP journalist in the capital, added: “Fire in Beirut port reigniting explosive panic.”
Al Jazeera Beirut correspondent Timour Azhari posted pictures of the fire and wrote: “Absolutely massive fire in the port of Beirut right now.
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: @Beltrew / Twitter)
“There was a smaller fire a couple of days ago that the civil defense said they put out.
“It is not clear what caused this. People in the capital hold their breath, leave the area.”
Beirut-based Bel Trew, who covers the Middle East for The Independent, said people were taking precautions because they feared the fire would cause a major explosion.
The journalist tweeted: “This comes from the port of Beirut, nobody knows what it is.
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: WAEL HAMZEH / EPA-EFE / REX / Shutterstock)
“But everyone I know is opening their windows to relieve pressure if a pressure wave comes in and then they go well away from the glass.
“The whole city is traumatized. There was a fire 2 days ago.”
Officials told local media that there was no risk of a massive explosion after the fire broke out in the port’s free zone.
They said the warehouse contained oil and tires, and no injuries were reported.
Video not available
Residents were urged to stay away from the scene.
A military source told Reuters that the cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
Television footage showed firefighters trying to put out the fire in the port, where warehouses and concrete silos were ripped apart by last month’s explosion.
The August 4 explosion occurred when approximately 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate caught fire in a warehouse where the highly dangerous chemical compound had been kept in poor condition for years.
A part of Beirut near the port was left in ruins.
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