A massive fire is raging at the port of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, a little more than a month after a huge explosion devastated the port facilities and surrounding area.
There was no immediate information about what caused Thursday’s fire, which sent a large column of black smoke into the sky. The Lebanese army said the blaze was at a warehouse where oil and tyres are stored in the port’s duty-free zone.
Army helicopters were taking part in efforts to extinguish the fire. Local TV stations said companies with offices near the port have asked their employees to leave the area. Panicked residents leaned out of windows to call out each other and warn of the new fire.
Some 191 people were killed and more than wounded when 2,750 tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate that were stored in a port warehouse for almost seven years exploded on August 4.