Another fire in Beirut, Lebanon
Image Credit: Twitter
Another fire has erupted in the city of Beirut on Tuesday. The fire erupted in a building known as the oval building, designed by US- Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. The 26,370m3 building was still under construction, and includes residential and retail space. It was to be completed in 2019, but there were delays. The owner of a steel company, Abdul Rahman Sultan, was working on the building. He said ‘The building was severly damaged by the August 4 blast.The value of the damage was up to $7 million, and with this fire, the damage must have doubled.’
The building is located next to a road that leads to the port, where an explosion on August 4th left more thn 200 people dead and thousands injured. This is the third fire in a week. Smoke was seen from the building. The fire brigade has extinguished the fire, and no deaths or injuries were reported.
Fadi Mazboudi is one of the members of the fire brigade department, where he shared his experience at the scene. ‘We received a call that there is a fire near Majidieh mosque. When we first arrived the fire was very strong. This is a building known as the oval building in Beirut’s markets.’
He continued, ‘What caught fire was the insulation material between the inside and the outside of the building. Thank God, firefighters and the civil defense were able to put the fire under control as fast as possible despite the limited capabilities.’
Beirut’s residents are still recovering from the August 4th explosion that wrecked havoc in the city. Last Thursday’s fire, which also occured in the same site of the explosion, terrified many residents, of another possible explosion. Earlier last week, before the Thursday fire, another blaze struck the city, but was contained quickly. The damages caused by the August 4th explosion run in the billions. Around 250,000 people ended up homeless, in a country already suffering from a financial crisis, and a risk of economic collapse, before the event of August 4th unfolded.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is in progress, but local media quoted a worker, that explained that they were using black tar as a gas fueled flame.
Share this:
What Now News 24 