Salam warned that “what is happening today constitutes a danger and solutions must be reached, and if these materials remain inside the barns and the fires are repeated, this will automatically lead to their collapse.”
While he did not reveal what the “best option” he is trying to resort to today to address the issue “without reaching random decisions or demolishing,” he recalled that the Cabinet suspended its demolition decision in solidarity with the families of the port’s martyrs and in response to calls to wait as long as there is no need for demolition.
The General Directorate of Civil Defense had stated, in a statement, that the fire, which was notified of its outbreak on Tuesday, “erupted as a result of emissions resulting from the fermentation of materials found in the vicinity of Al-Ahrah as a result of the catastrophic explosion that occurred in the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020. Chemical substances deposited on its impact, and the resulting new and complex chemical processes as a result of the mixing of the emitted gases with other gases in the air.
She pointed out that “any intervention to extinguish the aforementioned fire, whether by water or extinguishing materials, will postpone the problem for a few days, so that the fire and smoke will return to produce new effects that may cause new, more severe damage.”
She pointed out that “in the framework of monitoring and follow-up, a consultation was held with the Beirut Fire Brigade and subsequently with the two experts who follow up the situation in the vicinity of the dumps, and the first warned of the dangers of approaching the place under technical control by means of sensors, which were focused following the explosion according to the requirements of follow-up. The second confirmed that this fire has been repeated before and it is not possible to control it completely because trying to extinguish it by any liquid will lead to a new fermentation that will produce other gases that soon ignite once more due to the high temperatures.
The directorate also reminded that “the Minister of Public Works and Transport had previously prevented approaching the Al-Ahraat area, in addition to similar measures taken by the Lebanese army in order to avoid any loss of life, given the seriousness of the situation in its surroundings, and any decision regarding that area remains with the ministerial committee that was formed following the explosion. The tragedy, which necessitated directing a letter this morning 13/7/2022 from the General Directorate of Civil Defense to the committee through the Minister of Interior and Municipalities to take the appropriate decision.”