OREANDA-NEWS. A strong fire broke out in the port of Beirut, a column of thick black smoke is observed three kilometers from the sea harbour.

The Lebanese Red Cross chief told reports of the OTV channel that the thick black smoke over Beirut was the result of burning garbage in the port. According to a number of Lebanese media, a fire broke out in one of the hangars in the duty free territory. Firefighters and military personnel arrived at the scene to struggle against the fire.

A powerful explosion occurred near the port of Beirut on August 4. Hundreds of houses and cars were destroyed and damaged. According to the Lebanese authorities, the cause was the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate seized by customs in 2014 and stored in a warehouse. 190 people died, more than 6 thousand were injured. A state of emergency was introduced in the city until September 19.