Beirut Port in Lebanon, Site of Explosion Disaster, Faces Another Major Fire

Fire Occurs Again During Warehouse Repair
Two Workers Injured, No Serious Cases Reported

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Another large fire broke out at Beirut Port in Lebanon just over a month after the explosion accident. Beirut citizens, traumatized by the disaster reminiscent of war, once again wiped their startled hearts upon seeing the rising black smoke.

Beirut Port engulfed again in black smoke [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

On the 10th (local time), foreign media reported that a large fire occurred at the ruined Beirut Port. The Lebanese military stated, "This explosion accident occurred in a warehouse storing oil and tires."

A Lebanese government official said the incident was caused by sparks during reconstruction work around the port area. Local Lebanese media reported that two warehouses were completely burned down due to the fire. It is known that two workers were injured in the fire, but there were no serious injuries.

As tires and other materials burned, black smoke soared over Beirut Port.

Black smoke is rising as tires and other materials loaded at the Port of Beirut catch fire. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The accident also damaged humanitarian relief supplies. The Lebanon representative of the International Red Cross said, "There were 500,000 liters of oil and thousands of food boxes in the warehouse that caught fire," adding, "These boxes were scheduled to be provided to the victims of last month's Beirut Port explosion."

Some foreign media, citing anonymous sources, introduced that after last month's explosion accident, some companies at Beirut Port were rebuilding warehouses to store existing cargo.

The Lebanese government ordered the military police and intelligence agencies to promptly investigate the incident. Lebanese President Michel Aoun said, "We can no longer tolerate fires caused by this kind of mistake."

Earlier, on the 4th of last month, about 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a flammable substance, exploded in Lebanon, causing about 190 deaths and injuring over 6,000 people. The disaster revealed chronic problems such as corruption and irresponsibility in Lebanon, leading to anti-government protests. The suffering of the Lebanese people has been further aggravated by the economic crisis that began with a financial crisis even before the explosion accident, compounded by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

In Lebanon, on the 10th of last month, the Lebanese cabinet led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned taking responsibility for the explosion accident, and on the 31st, Mustafa Adib, ambassador to Germany, was appointed as the new prime minister. The international community expressed willingness to provide aid to Lebanon but demanded reforms as a prerequisite. In particular, French President Emmanuel Macron, who showed special interest by visiting Beirut during his vacation immediately after the Lebanon explosion accident, urged the swift formation of a new government to carry out the reforms demanded by the international community. He said, "If there are no results from the reforms demanded by the international community, financial support from the international community will be delayed," and demanded a large-scale audit of the Lebanese central bank and financial system as well as a credible investigation into the explosion disaster.