Lebanese firefighters and army helicopters on Friday put out the remains of a huge fire at Beirut Port that angered citizens who remain in shock a month after a massive blast devastated the port and the surrounding area.
Thursday's fire, which officials said was sparked by welding during repair work after last month's port explosion, covered several districts of Beirut in a huge cloud of black, acrid smoke, causing panic in a city still on edge after the massive Aug. 4 blast.
Interim port chief Bassem al-Kaissi told a local TV station that the fire "started with oil containers before moving on to tires.”
The civil defense said in a statement that firefighters had extinguished the flames on Friday morning after working through the night, and were cooling the site to avoid it flaring up again.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said at a meeting of the Supreme Defense Council held at Baabda Palace on Thursday night that the fire could have been caused by sabotage, technical error or negligence. He called for a swift investigation.
Thursday's blaze comes just two days after another smaller fire at the port, which the army said took hold of a mix of rubbish, wood and old tires.
Many Lebanese are frustrated that they have yet to be told about any initial findings from an investigation into last month's explosion that killed about 190 people and injured 6,000, and ravaged tens of thousands of homes.
On Thursday, the lead investigating judge listened to the testimonies of caretaker transport and public works minister Michel Najjar and State Security agency head Tony Saliba, the National News Agency said.
The authorities have so far arrested 25 suspects.
Lebanon has rejected an international investigation into the explosion, but its probe is being aided by foreign experts, including from the American FBI and France.
The government resigned after the port blast, and Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib is racing to form a new cabinet by early next week to meet a two-week deadline agreed under French pressure.
