Fire erupts in Beirut port over a month after deadly explosion

A large fire broke out at Beirut’s port on Thursday, sending up a column of black smoke over the skies of the Lebanese capital more than a month after a deadly explosion at the same site killed at least 190 people and destroyed large parts of the city.

The fire reportedly broke out after a tire and oil store caught on fire, a Lebanese military source was quoted by Reuters as saying.

However, the director of the port has said that it is still too early to determine the cause of the fire.

Just a month after the explosion at the #Beirut port, another fire has broken out at the port in Lebanon's capital. It is said to be tires and oil that are aflame. pic.twitter.com/m9ATpwIvqB

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) September 10, 2020

Dozens of Lebanese social media users, still traumatized by the August 4 blast, shared footage of the fire online.

Smoke fills the #Beirut sky as a fire blazes in the port, a month after a deadly explosion at the port killed at least 191 in Lebanon's capital. pic.twitter.com/MFOmiJH2Cp

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) September 10, 2020

The Lebanese Red Crescent has denied reports of injuries, but confirmed reports that some people are facing difficulty breathing.

Firefighters have arrived at the scene of the blaze, according to local media reports.

Lebanese military helicopters have been sent to the port to help firefighters on the ground put out the fire, according to a statement from the army. Live television footage showed one helicopter flying to the area, with a water container slung underneath.

Lebanon had already been suffering from an unprecedented economic crisis, heightened by the coronavirus pandemic, when the August 4 disaster happened.

Hundreds of thousands were left homeless across the capital when the explosion caused entire buildings to collapse and glass to shatter all over the streets.

(With Reuters)