(Beirut) A fire that has been going on for several days in the grain silos of the port of Beirut, hit by a deadly explosion in 2020, has rekindled the trauma of relatives of victims less than a month from the second anniversary of the tragedy.
Posted at 9:16 a.m.
The explosion, triggered on August 4, 2020 by a fire in a warehouse housing hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored without precaution, left more than 200 dead and 6,500 injured and devastated entire neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital.
Hit hard by the blast of the explosion, the grain silos of the port had partially collapsed.
The fire, which broke out in early July in the most damaged part of the silos, was caused by the fermentation of remaining grain stocks, combined with high temperatures.
“When we see it (the fire) we remember the tragedy of August 4 […] we feel pain,” Kayan Tlais, who lost his brother in the blast, told AFP.
The billowing flames and smoke are visible for miles around, and photos of the blaze have been widely shared on social media.
“The fire and the smell of smoke are horrible and rekindle the trauma of my family members and neighbors,” Lara Khatchikian, a resident of a neighborhood near the port, told AFP.
Any attempt to put out the blaze – by sea, land or air – poses more risk of silos collapsing than the blaze itself, said Economy Minister Amin Salam. delivered on Thursday.
According to him, the government is studying possible solutions to avoid, in particular, demolishing the silos.
The general manager of the port’s silos, Assaad Haddad, explained that the temperature emitted by the fire was not high enough to cause structural damage or release toxic smoke.
“That’s the reason why black take our time” to put it out, he said.
In April, Lebanon had ordered the demolition of the silos, but, according to Mr. Salam, the decision was suspended due to the opposition of the relatives of the victims of the tragedy who want to make it a place of memory.