A large blaze of fire erupted from the port in Beirut. This incident happened just a month after the
huge Beirut explosion that killed nearly 200 people injuring several thousand. The eruption of the massive fire at Beirut port not only frightened the people of the area but also caused a
new panic among the residents who are still struggling to overcome the traumatic effect of the last explosion that happened at the
same port.
People’s reaction at the traumatized situation
The huge fire that erupted at Beirut port frightened the people. The people of the city started escaping away from the site. Some piled into cars and flee the city. Some opened their house windows to prevent the shattering of glass, others hid in the washroom.
The highway parallel to the port was blocked with cars and people. People were screaming and running for their lives. Some of the people who were stuck somewhere in the traffic covered their ears looking
traumatized. All the stress and the panic situation was compound by the threat that more chemical could be present at the port that could lead to another massive blast like the one happened a month before.
On the other side, the employees working at the port ran away from the fire feeling traumatized by the entire situation. Lebanese troops arrived at the site. They closed all the major roads near the port and rerouted the traffic.
People claimed that the
fire brought back the memories of the last month’s massive blast that shook the whole city. Others claimed that they are still trying to recover from the terrible memories, although these types of panic and fires can only make things worse.
Cause of the massive fire at Beirut port
Soon after the
massive fire at Beirut’s port, the Lebanese army announced to begin an investigation to identify the source of the fire. However, according to the Port’s Director Bassem Al Qaisi, the fire started at the warehouse of the barrels of oil. The oil caught the fire that rapidly spread to the tires kept nearby.
However, the source of the eruption of the massive fire is still unknown. what caused the fire? No one knows. Whether the fire erupted by the heat or some human mistake. The mystery is still unsolved.
On the other side, the Public work Minister with the outgoing government, Michel Najjar said in his conversation with the local news channel, the cause of the fire is the repairing work at the port. At the same time, he also said, the source can only be identified after a comprehensive study of the site.
President Michel Aoun claimed that the blaze might have started by a technical error or negligence.
What caused people to panic more?
Just a few days before the blast, the Lebanese army announced to find more than 4 tons of harmful chemical , ammonium nitrate at the Beirut’s port. Ammonium nitrate was the main cause of the massive blast that destroyed the whole city on August 4. Although the army later announced to move the containers away from the port but still people who witnessed the massive blast of last month could not feel relax after witnessing huge fumes of black smoke touching the sky.
Lebanese Civil defense firefighters said the fire was brought under control but it is not completely extinguished. The Civil defence director Raymond Khattar clarified that those firefighters who are working to extinguish the fire would not leave until the fire is fully quenched.
Fortunately, everyone is safe. There were no injuries. Only some reports of the people suffering from shortness of breath due to the dark smoke that polluted the air.
