Another fire at the troubled Port of Beirut, less than five weeks after an explosion killed 200 and injured thousands has broken out, with locals saying the fire was caused by welding work again being undertaken in the wake of the first explosion on 4 August.
Industry fears that another explosion similar to the first could happen at another port were well founded, but the a similar occurrence at the same port so soon after the initial blast is catastropic for the city and its inhabitants.
Al Jazeera reported that the Lebanese army had attributed the latest fire to a warehouse storing oils and tyres in the port’s Duty Free area.
Beirut’s new director, Bassem Kaissi, appointed after the 4 August explosion, said that the fire broke out in an area of the port rented by BCC Logistics whcih was carrying out remedial work at the site.
It was unclear exactly what was burning and firefighters were being cautious after further reports of chemicals in the area, but it was not thought that there were more explosives in the area.
